Tofu's Return
by SkyStrider
Summary: Continuation of "Kasumi's Fate" ::: The Kitsune Dr. Tofu Ono has finally returned to Nerima and is looking forward to some quiet time with a certain Tendo daughter. Funny how things never quite go as planned as everyone gets in on the act - Fortunately Kitsune are very adaptable, and so is Kasumi... Tofu/Kasumi
1. Tofu Kitsune

Again: the obvious disclaimer: Ranma ½ is a trademark of Rumiko Takahashi and VIZ Communications, and its characters have been borrowed without permission. This story was written for non-commercial purposes only.

This story is a sequel to "Kasumi's Fate" and is actually the third tale in a series called Bindings, despite the fact that I haven't released the second story yet. The second story, "Brothers", is suppose to address the some of the plot holes surrounding Ryoga. However, whenever I tried to concentrate on "Brothers", Kasumi and Tofu began to complain at me that they had more to say and that they deserved another story (I really need to have my meds upp'ed again). In order to keep them quiet, I wrote this piece and then held on to it until "Brothers" was fleshed out enough so I knew the stories were consistent with each other. Since there actually isn't a lot of overlap between the two, I decided to release this story while I put a little more polish on "Brothers". I hope you enjoy it…

Oh – If you're wondering why Tofu's a Kitsune in this series, please see my Author's page for the long answer. The short answer is that there isn't anything in the manga or anime to stops him from being a Kitsune (and it fills in some of the plot holes nicely).

* * *

Chapter 1: Tofu Kitsune

Tofu stood in the clearing on Mount Terror looking at the dark sky. His brown eyes quickly located the North Star and noted the compass points from there. Standing very still, he concentrated and expanded his awareness to sweep the clearing and the surrounding area for any signs of uninvited guests. Not finding anything, he stretched himself further, sweeping his senses across everything within a kilometer of his location. Satisfied with what he found, he then turned to his dark-haired companion.

"We should be fine. There are some campers off to the south, but they are sound asleep. As long as we keep quiet, they'll stay that way," Tofu said quietly.

"Why don't you use a little magic and force them to stay asleep until sunrise?" asked the young man in the dragon scale armor.

Tofu turned to Taro with an eyebrow raised. "You were part of our team for over five months, and you still haven't learned about unintended consequences? What if a wild animal or, worse yet, a human criminal should attack the sleepers? I wasn't planning on hanging around. Shouldn't they have the opportunity to defend themselves? Never mind that it's rude to bypass someone's will and force them to do something at my whim? How would you feel about it if I did it you?"

The younger man looked at the ground and held his temper at the mild reprimand. He blew out the last of his anger with a sigh and looked at Tofu, who gave him a nod of approval. No one who knew him otherwise would believe it, but Taro had learned a little self-control while at Ryugenzawa. The doc was a teacher and had some measure of patience, but the others had not. Taro spent the first two weeks after his arrival at Ryugenzawa with both his forms wrapped in bandages. Eventually, it dawned on him that being the strongest in the room didn't make you the best fighter – even the Mouse could humiliate him and make it look like a game. Also, the team had been very quick to deal with a loose tongue. Taro had learned (painfully) that Olaf could nail anything with his war hammer within fifty meters. After the first month, Taro learned to stay with Tofu (or Fox as the others called him). Tofu at least gave you one warning before a Foxfire strike and would accept an apology without blood. Maybe that's why the others had respected him, even if he wasn't the strongest…

Tofu addressed Taro. "Did the Council give you your next instructions?"

"Yes, I'm suppose to go to Jusenkyo and meet Daran there. He'll work with me on my next task."

"Good. Listen to him. I know Daran is quiet, but when he does speak, there's a lot of weight behind his words. And don't go picking a fight just because you're bored or frustrated."

Taro snorted. "Yeah, don't think that will be a problem. I've been on the receiving end of that whip one too many times." Then he paused and continued: "Doc, why here? Why didn't you have me drop you off in Nerima?"

Now Tofu snorted. "Maybe because I'm not a glutton for punishment. Could you really resist going after Happosai?"

Taro's blue eyes narrowed. "He did sell me to the Council."

"No, he sold your name to the Council. Not that I really approve of that either. But, you were free to walk away at any time," Tofu responded. "And the Council did drop the 'Pantyhose' moniker immediately. You could have been content with 'Taro'."

"My tribe insists on two names. I'll hang in there until I complete the bargain."

"That's up to you, but Nerima's seen enough trouble, and it's going to see more. I don't want you adding to it. If you are going to take on Happosai, do it outside of Nerima, please."

"Fine." Taro replied petulantly. "But, you're not telling me the whole truth."

Tofu looked at Taro with surprise. "Was that actually insight, Taro? Amazing. There may be hope for you yet."

Taro gave another snort. "Despite what you and the others think, I'm not an idiot. So, why here?" he asked again.

Tofu looked up at the sky again. "Taro, for the last five months, I have been Fox – leader of a group of morons digging around in the den of a legendary monster, just begging for trouble. When I hit Nerima, I'll be Doctor Ono, one of the city's healers and hip deep in everyone else's problems. For just a few hours, I want to be Tofu Kitsune again, someone I haven't been in ages."

Taro looked at Tofu with confusion in his pale eyes. "I have trouble with one name, but you and the others seem to have many. It's like you exchange one identity for another at a whim. How can you change who you are?"

Tofu sighed. "We don't really change who we are. We just bring a different aspect to the foreground. In some ways, we've become so complicated, even our aspects need names."

Taro reflected for a moment, then said: "I don't really understand that, but maybe I will when I'm older." He straightened up and said, "I'll leave you to it." He turned and began to walk away, then stopped, but did not turn back. "Doc?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," Taro said, struggling with the words.

Tofu allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "Really?" After a nod from Taro, who still refused to look at him, Tofu continued "Then you're forgiven." That was only a small lie – you couldn't really forgive someone for taking something that you never had in the first place.

Taro glanced behind, nodded and headed off into the woods.

Tofu watched the sky until he saw Taro's form rise against the stars and leave heading west. His smile was bright in the darkness. Finally! He could finally let go of Tofu Fox and put him back on the shelf. Fox was the Council's whipping boy. Fox had to deal with one set of morons sent from the Council after another. Fox then had to deal with the consequences of the morons' actions when they didn't listen to him and took matters into their own hands. The latest and greatest of these consequences had been the replacement of Omata no Yarochi, a manageable monster, with the re-incarnation of Yamata no Yarochi, a *decidedly* unmanageable monster. And Fox was not the Kami Susanoo!

Tofu stopped himself. He knew better than to dwell on the past. It didn't change the present. Besides, his present didn't look all that bad now. He'd thought he would be alone now, abandoned by his friends and locked into an endless cycle of tasks, but that hadn't happened. Instead, the Kitsune had come to him and forcibly reminded him that he was one of them, despite his mixed heritage. That, before he was the Council's Fox, he had been Tofu Kitsune. And the Kitsune had then performed a small miracle on his behalf. So tonight, Tofu was going to take Tofu Kitsune off the shelf and pay tribute to his people.

Tofu stepped out of the clearing into the surrounding evergreens. He slipped off his backpack and then opened his shirt to remove a small bag chained around his neck. The bag expanded as he did so. He placed the backpack inside and then removed his clothes, placing them inside the bag as well. Finally, he placed his watch inside – the sky would serve as his clock. He sealed up the bag, which shrunk to something that fit in his palm, and chained it about his neck again. Closing his eyes, he shifted his form to his spiritual appearance, then to his Kitsune shape. Opening his eyes he checked his form. "Let's see:" he thought.

"Four feet: check."

"One tail: check."

"Fur: check."

"Muzzle: Check."

Nodding to himself, he grinned and took off in a southerly direction toward the nearest camp site. The night's scents filled his nose, and he reveled in the speed of his form. Anyone looking at him, provided they could see him streaking through the underbrush, would have only seen a rather large red and brown fox, about the size of a German Shepherd. Granted, that would give anyone pause, but Tofu didn't feel like explaining to the local wildlife that he should be left alone to enjoy himself. His extreme size established that at the outset.

He quickly approached the campsite and took a look around. There was a single two man tent near the center of the site. A sniff of their scents identified the campers as a middle-aged couple. The fire had been put out for the night, and the food was safely stored in a rucksack about five meters above the ground. The site was neat and orderly. Obviously, the couple were old hands at this. Tofu sent his mind out to ascertain how deep asleep the two were and found both of them too far under to allow for dreams. He thought about it and decided they didn't deserve any mischief. However, he was a little hungry, so he sent his thoughts into their cooler and removed two eggs with a little slight-of-paw, making sure he left enough for the couple. He also grabbed a couple of carrots and some berries from their stores and settled down to eat. Once he had completed his small meal, he left a quick blessing on the campers for sweet dreams and moved on.

He drifted in the general direction of Nerima, never hurrying, but keeping an eye on the stars and the East any time he came to a break in the trees. After an hour or so, he picked up the pungent scent of beer. Intrigued, he decided to follow it. The scent led to a larger camp site consisting of a group of nine couples sprawled asleep around a dying bonfire. Each of the couples was wrapped in a handful of blankets and everyone appeared to be in their late teens. Tofu knew from talking to Kasumi that this was the week between the end of one school year and the start of another. Obviously, these kids had decided to escape from their parents and have a little party in the woods with the extra time. They were lucky the weather was decent since there were no tents and no sleeping bags, and none of the blankets were water proof. There was an extra musky smell coming from some of the couples that had Tofu praying they used some form of protection. He looked around the campsite and noticed beer bottles everywhere. A ton of junk food wrappers also filled the site.

"So, let's see…" he thought to himself.

"Underage drinking: Check."

"Lack of preparation: Check."

"Underage sex: Check."

"Unguarded fire: Check."

"Littering: Check."

"Deserve a little mischief: Check."

"What to do, what to do…Let's see, something harmless, but requiring a little work to get undone," he continued. A memory struck him - a while back, up in Sendai, Tofu had roomed with a potter. This man had worked with clays and pigments from all over the world. One of the more interesting clays arrived packaged as a fine blue powder. If the powder happened to spill, it would coat and cling to everything as if it was a dye. The proper way to clean it up was with a vacuum. If you used water or a wet rag, the clay absorbed water like there was no tomorrow and became a very goopy and clingy mess.

"Perfect!" The fox grinned to himself.

Tofu moved over to the fire and began sifting through the ashes. Once he had a sizable pile of fine ash collected, he used fox magic to change the ash into the clay. He then sent it into the teenagers' hair with a thought. The end result was that all the couples now had very bright blue hair. The couples now had three options: they could try and wash it out, which was the worst thing they could do; they could shake the clay out of their hair, which should take a couple of hours of brushing and shaking (fox magic was very thorough); or they could wait 24 hours for the clay to become ash again and wash it out then (provided they had any inkling that they were tagged by a Kitsune). Either way, tomorrow planned to contain great deal of entertainment for the couples. The best part was that some of them were likely from Nerima, so he was sure to hear about it eventually. He grinned and moved on again.

As he moved up the slope, the underbrush thinned, and Tofu amused himself with a little hunting. For the most part, voles were not that tasty - something foxes ate when nothing better was around. When he heard one, he made a point of cornering the small rodent, then letting it go. He quickly grew bored with it though – it wasn't the most challenging game. "Now that rabbit over there, on the other hand, could be more interesting," he thought to himself. Tofu was about to give chase when he felt a thump on his back. Turning his neck around, his eyes met the saucer shaped eyes of a small grey owl, standing on his back.

To his brief amazement, the owl addressed him mind-to-mind: "Fox, you're making it hard for the rest of us grab a meal here. Either get serious, or cut it out."

"Oh, look," he replied with amusement in his eyes. "Dinner just arrived."

The owl made a derisive noise. "You're going to pass on fresh vole for stringy old owl? I don't think so."

"If you can talk to me, then 'old' is right," Tofu commented.

"You're no spring chicken either," the owl retorted. "Either you passed the century mark with ease, or your parents have really have overfed you. You put a hunting dog to shame and you're moving quieter than I can fly."

"I'll take that as a compliment – I never heard you coming."

"No surprise there." The owl preened some of its feathers and then looked at the fox again. "You're the Kitsune, who lives in the city, aren't you? You've been gone a bit now."

"Yes, but I have come back."

"Fine by me," replied the bird. "But keep in mind that some of us cannot shift our shape like you do and mingle with the humans. And we still need to eat."

Tofu laughed, "Oh, all right. I'll behave."

"Good" the owl said, and then it took off. "Safe travels."

"Good hunting," Tofu called back. He moved on quickly to allow the area to settle again.

The exchange made him think deeply though. The Elder animals around here were aware of him in the city. Maybe he should spend a little more time paying attention to the wildlife in the city itself, both as a source of information and potential trouble. Spies worked both ways after all, and he probably stuck out like a sore thumb – foxes that lived long enough to join the ranks of the Kitsune stayed away from people. Even the half/quarter-breeds like himself tended to keep to the country. He probably needed to make a little more of an effort to blend in. He grinned then – maybe marrying one of the local women would do…

He stopped briefly when he crested Mt. Terror. Looking at the sky, he estimated sunrise was about four hours away. Not too bad, but he was going to have to put on a little speed if he wanted to be in the lower hills by then, so he hurried along. He was about half way down the mountain when the evergreens gave way to more leafy trees. A little way further down from this boundary, his nose picked up the scent of an open food cooler. Even more interesting was the scent of two raccoon dogs, most likely a mated pair. He adjusted his body size down a few notches so not to unduly frighten them, and changed direction to track them. The pair might be willing to share if approached properly. If nothing else, they might provide a little info if he was polite enough.

Sure enough, Tofu came upon the male and female, about 100 meters from another campsite. Obviously, the campers had not locked their cooler down, and these two had carried it off. The female was pregnant and about half-way to term. Neither one was an Elder animal, so he'd have to help them out a little if he wanted to talk to them. Tofu spun a small magic about himself. Then he lay down and addressed the pair. "Hail cousins! Good hunting?"

The male spun quickly and ran to protect his mate. Once he turned and saw Tofu, the grey and brown animal relaxed a little. While foxes were occasionally known to attack raccoon dogs, they never announced themselves so openly before they did so. "Well enough," the canine answered carefully.

The female appraised Tofu, "You're a little large for a fox, Kitsune."

"I'm not exactly making a secret of it. But I mean no harm," replied Tofu. "Certainly not to a whelping couple."

Both raccoon dogs relaxed further. "We are just going about our business, Kitsune," the male stated.

"Then I'll wait until your business is done and help myself," Tofu responded affably.

"Hmmm… I'd rather not have you watch us eat."

Tofu pretended to think. "How about I pick something? If you object, I'll put it back. Otherwise, I'll take it and leave you alone."

The male thought about, and then responded, "All right. Choose."

The fox wandered over and grabbed a well sealed pack of bacon.

"You want that?" asked the female. "It's has no scent."

Tofu set the bacon down and picked up another pack, placing it before the raccoon dogs. "Watch and learn," he said. He held the second pack down and used his teeth to slit it open. The strong scent assaulted all three noses. Tofu backed up a little, standing over the one he first picked. "I'll leave the open one and take the sealed one. Deal?"

"Deal," the parents-to-be replied.

"Then enjoy." With that, the fox grabbed his prize and left the couple.

The dawn had just started to stain the morning sky when Tofu finished cooking the bacon. He had already reverted to his mortal form and gotten dressed again. It had been a great night, but he wanted to watch the sun rise before placing Tofu Kitsune on the shelf again and taking back his responsibilities. He sat on the last real hill overlooking Nerima. His sharp eyes picked out his clinic in the distance, and even though he couldn't see it directly, his imagination filled in the location of one particular dojo. Yes, Nerima did hold responsibilities for him, but it also held pleasures – if nothing else, the sweet voice of a certain young woman.

Tofu Kitsune reflected on his situation. He was only a quarter Kitsune. Like a full Kitsune, there was a stretch of time where he did not age, but unlike a full Kitsune, that stretch would end. In his case, it had ended, more or less as he had expected. Tofu had thought that the true Kitsunes would abandon him then and leave him to the mortal world once they found out. Sometimes that had happened to other part-breeds like himself.

However, his Kitsune friends surprised him. Once his mortality became evident, they did not abandon him, but instead launched an amazing campaign of innuendo and misinformation against the Council in true trickster fashion. Even the Kitsune Elders had joined in, insisting that the Council and their minions had set Tofu up against a creature beyond his abilities and Tofu had lost his immortality as a result. They stated that the Council had robbed the Kitsune of their rising star, their Taliesen. Tofu knew this was a complete load of crap, but anytime he tried to protest the nonsense, he had been silenced by the Elders (and one did not cross the Elders).

The end result of the campaign was absolutely amazing. The Council had been required to approve three Proclamations as written by the Kitsune Elders to appease the Kitsune community. The first regarded the return of certain metaphysical lands that the Council had taken away long ago. The second restored an ancient artifact to the Kitsune that Tofu was unfamiliar concerning. The third however, was drafted by the Elders for Tofu, and Tofu alone. Although several days had passed since the Council meeting, the words of the Council Proclamation still echoed in his ears:

"_It is with great regret that we cannot release Tofu Kitsune from his obligations to the Council. However, since his future tasks will reside solely in the mortal city of Nerima and in recognition of his exemplary work on behalf of the Council, we hereby revoke our previous prohibitions regarding the courtship of Kasumi Tendo by Tofu Kitsune and will offer any reasonable aid to Tofu Kitsune in his pursuit of Miss Tendo's hand in marriage, so long as it does not impede Miss Tendo free will."_

Tofu grinned to himself as his reflection came to an end, and then watched the sunrise. As the sun cleared the horizon, Tofu Kitsune picked up his backpack and became Doctor Tofu Ono once more. It was time to resume his duties, and the pursuit of a beautiful woman.


	2. Nerima

Chapter 2: Nerima

Tofu walked through the streets of Nerima with his backpack on his way home. Not many were out yet, for which he was grateful. He had no illusions about getting back without someone recognizing him, but he was hoping to skip any long "Welcome Back" greetings just now. He liked the people of Nerima. They contained such a cast of characters that the people as a whole tended to overlook a few oddities about a person, such as not really aging over a decade or so. He had a feeling that two or three decades might push a few limits, but that wasn't a problem for him anymore. However, he just wanted to get back home and give Kasumi a shout – maybe they could meet up later in the day.

Miss Tendo had been in his thoughts a lot since the Council's pronouncement that they would no longer interfere in his love life. Tofu knew Kasumi was strongly attracted to him (his feelings towards her were a bit more than "strongly"), and the dates that they had together in Nagoya had been heavenly. However, she was only 21 years old despite the heavy burdens she wrestled with daily. He figured a nice steady courtship would allow her to get her future on track. After all, Akane would graduate high school in the next year, and Nabiki was leaving for college very shortly. The promise to her mother would be over soon, and he could help Kasumi out with some of the remaining issues. Maybe he could work with helping Ranma grow-up a bit and even make a dent in Ranma's fiancée situation. Maybe he could even try and draw his (hopefully) father-in-law-to-be out a bit more. Of course, there were other problems with Soun that would have to be worked out (like the fact that Soun viewed him as a contemporary), but Tofu was feeling optimistic right now. Yes, a nice evenly-paced courtship would also give Tofu time to really re-introduce himself to Soun and clear the air.

Up in Heaven, much laughter was heard from the Great Temple…

"Doctor Tofu!"

The doc's musings were cut off by the shout and the feeling of a well-aimed missile hitting his chest. He looked down to see the blue-black hair of one of his favorite people, Akane Tendo, who he thought of as a beloved niece. He had learned after the fact that Akane once had a crush on him. Happily enough, it had passed and he never had to really deal with it. Now the only crush she had on him was the very physical one she placed on his rib cage. "Whoa, ease up Akane! I can break you know."

The girl gave a final squeeze and backed up a little. "Kasumi is going to be so happy your back!" She was obviously in the middle of her morning jog.

"I'm happy to be back as well," he answered. "Is everyone fine at the dojo?"

"Yes, but you already knew that. You spoke to Kasumi on Tuesday, two days ago."

"Oh oh. There's the first new wrinkle," he thought. One eyebrow shot up. "Hmmm…does Nabiki know that too?" he asked out loud.

Akane's brown eyes grew mischievous. "Yes, but Kasumi's had her on a tight leash. You may want to guard your wallet though. Nabiki's looking for a little extra pocket money before she leaves for college on Monday."

"Hah, I'll keep that in mind."

Akane smiled and backed up, ready to resume her run. Tofu was struck by how much she looked like her mother. Then she spoke, "You should call Kasumi as soon as get home. She's anxious to hear from you. We'd all love to see you too."

Tofu smiled back. "I'd like to see everyone too. And I will call her as soon as I can."

Akane gave a wave and continued her run. Tofu immediately struck out for the clinic, dropping the leisurely pace and doubling the speed of his walk. If Kasumi had brought Akane and Nabiki into her confidence, he needed to know what was said. He trusted Kasumi to keep his secrets (or rather what she knew of them), and Kasumi was the very soul of discretion. However, the Tendo family dynamics had changed, and he may have to alter his plans accordingly. The sharing of confidence meant Akane and Nabiki had matured more than he thought. In his mind, he replayed his meeting with Akane. She had changed – she was more confident in herself and a measure of grace had been added to her bearing. While he could not imagine Nabiki growing more confident than she was already, Tofu was sure that similar changes had happened to the middle Tendo daughter as well.

Tofu considered himself one of the guardians of the Tendo family. Ever since their mom died, he had tried to guide the girls as much as possible. As much as he wanted to be a member of the family (eventually), preserving and protecting the overall health of the family (with or without him) was one of his primary concerns. As the family doctor, he was the one who explained the facts of life to the girls and made sure they saw the appropriate doctors. He had teamed up with other guardians to make sure the family stayed fed, and to see that Soun was never given the opportunity to drink his family into debt. He had even tried many times to get Soun to rouse himself, not that he had succeeded. One of the reasons he had given Mr. Saotome a job when Genma first arrived was because he hoped Genma might wake Soun up a bit – unfortunately, Genma turned out to be part of the problem, not part of the solution. Still, a strengthening of the bonds between the sisters struck him as a good sign – he just had to be sure!

As he turned the corner onto the street his clinic was on, he came to a dead stop. There was a line of people waiting outside the door of the clinic, and the clinic wasn't due to open for another hour. Oh shit. His arrival back in Nerima definitely hadn't gone unnoticed. He knew that many of the people in line suffered from chronic pain issues, mostly brought about due to the passage of the years, or as the aftereffects of a nasty illness. For the majority of them, modern pain killers had not worked, and they relied on more ancient medicines to grant them relief. While Doctor Tofu Ono was a much respected modern doctor, it was also a master of the more esoteric cures.

He didn't want to waste power. He wanted to save whatever magic he had stored to control his Bind so he could be with Kasumi. However, he needed to get inside first, so he cast a small Glamour about himself and walked forward. As he walked closer, his mage senses began to pick up on the discomfort around him. His mind quickly divided the line into those who really needed some relief, those who should just go home and take an aspirin, and those who were at wits end and needed help *now*. Damn, Kasumi would have to wait…

* * *

Chie Shimizu, the receptionist of the Ono Clinic, looked at the full waiting room with a line going out the door. Doctor Ando was not due in for another half an hour and the patients were driving her absolutely mental. They insisted that they needed to see Dr. Ono right now, but as far as Chie knew from Kasumi, Tofu wasn't due until next week. However, from what she could glean from some of the less rabid patients, it sounded like Tofu had been seen in the city early this morning. So the rumor mill had seized on that and patients unsatisfied with Dr. Ando wanted to see Tofu. Granted, Isamu Ando had a lousy bedside manner. While he was competent, he tended to talk down to people and simply dismiss many symptoms as "standard" – i.e. take two aspirin and call me tomorrow if things don't improve. Many people didn't want to hear that. Still even if Tofu was in the city, it meant he just got in. Maybe the poor guy wanted to rest before going back to work (or to see a particular Tendo daughter)?

A delivery man came in the front door, bypassing the line. Chie expected him to come straight to her, but instead he immediately walked to the inner office door and went in. "Excuse me!" she yelled chasing after him. He ignored her and closed the door. "Great!" she thought. "Now I have someone trying to steal drugs." She ran through the inner door only to have it forcible slammed shut behind her. Then she was seized from behind and spun about. A finger was pressed to her lips in warning.

"Not one word, Chie. If you want to stay employed that is…" was said quietly to her.

Surprised, she looked up into the grimly smiling face of her employer. She threw her arms about his neck and gave him a hug. "Thank God," she said. "It's a mad house out there."

Tofu returned the hug and released her. He nodded and began writing patients names on a piece of paper. "All right. Here's what we're going to do. I want to see these people first, in this order. I don't care about the line. If anyone complains, then offer to summon an ambulance and we will have them taken to Nerima General, but they won't see me outside of the order I dictate. Tell them, I'm tired and sore and likely to close the clinic for the week if I get any gruff back. They are also welcome to see Ando. When Ando comes in, I want to see him immediately. This is out-of-control. We need to work on his diplomacy." Chie wordlessly nodded her head.

Tofu continued, "Once the line is set, I want you to call Kasumi for me. Let her know I'm back and what's going on. Also ask her if she can be on stand-by to help us out, because I may need her help to clear out the clinic."

Chie returned Tofu's grim smile. "You got it, Boss."

Chie went outside into the waiting room with her list. "All right everyone," she yelled. "Doctor Tofu called and asked me to line up the following patients. These are the first people he will see when he gets in." As she yelled off the names, she heard grumbling about who was here first. Time to nip that off. "No one here has any appointments to see Doctor Tofu. The poor man has been traveling a lot recently. I told him to send everyone to Dr. Ando, but he wouldn't hear of it. If things get out of hand, I'm calling the police and closing the clinic for the week and you can all go to Nerima General – your choice." The silence became deafening.

As soon as the queue was set up, she made three phone calls. The first was to yell at Ando and tell him to get his butt in here (Damn, if was good to have the Boss back!). The next was to the lead nurse and let her know they needed more people on hand for this morning. The last was to the Tendo Dojo.

"Hello, Tendo Dojo", Soun answered.

"Hello, Mr. Tendo. This is Chie at the Ono Clinic. Is Kasumi there please?"

"No, I sorry, but she's out running errands with Mrs. Saotome right now."

Damn. Damn. Damn. "Well, could you have her call us here at the clinic as soon as possible?"

"Is everything all right with her last exam results?" Soun asked in a quivering voice.

Oh shit… Soun Tendo over-reacting about his eldest girl was the last thing Nerima needed, never mind the clinic. "No, no. Mr. Tendo. It's just that Kasumi had been helping Doctor Ono with some of the tax paperwork at the clinic before he left, and we need her help to find some of the forms."

"Oh, I didn't know that. Maybe that's how she became such an expert in taxes lately."

Chie didn't want to figure that one out. "Could you please have her call us as soon as possible?"

"Well, I'm going out right now, but I make sure to leave a large note by the phone and if I bump into her in town, I'll be sure to mention it."

"That would be great Mr. Tendo. Thank you very much."

After she hung up, she saw Ando fly in the door. The young doctor looked at the crowded waiting room dumbfounded. Chie smiled grimly at seeing the jackass look nervous. Ando had considered his boss to be hopeless outdated despite the fact that Tofu only looked to be about five years older than Ando. When Tofu had requested a temporary doctor, Chie had a feeling that Nerima General sent Ando so Ando could learn some humility. He was getting a double dose of it now…

She pinned him with her gaze. "He wants to see you *now*," was all she said. Ando swallowed hard and moved to the inner office. Chie would really have loved to eavesdrop on that conversation, but three of the staff nurses came in the door just then and stopped at the sight before them. The crowd watched them eagerly as they approached Chie. "All right ladies, you know the drill. These are the patients that Doctor Ono wants to see first. Get them prepped, and get the ailments sorted down to the bare bones. He's going to have to move fast to get any peace today."

Chie juggled forms and paperwork for the next hour and a half. Tofu had a very humbled Ando performing triage in the line. Ando looked even more humbled when Tofu sent two patients to Nerima General and one to Tokyo General via ambulances. Only once had Tofu left the inner office area and that was to check the waiting line himself. The patients had lit up upon seeing that he was really there. He smiled at them and then took Ando's clip board. After looking at it, he re-arranged some of the paperwork (causing Ando to wince), and walked over to Chie.

"I think we are past the critical patients and well into the serious ones. Did you get in touch with Kasumi?" he asked.

"No, I'm afraid not, Doc. I left a message with her father though," Chie answered.

"Ah well," he sighed. "Hopefully I can get in touch her later." He straightened up and when back inside the inner office.

Chie picked up the phone again and called the dojo. She heard, "Yo, Tendo dojo."

She sighed to herself. What was wrong with that household that she was more relieved to hear the teenage boy's voice rather than any of the parents?

"Hello Ranma? This is Chie at the Ono Clinic. Is Kasumi there?"

"Nope. She's been gone all morning on errands." There was a pause. "There are two notes by the phone for her. One's from Akane and the other's from Mr. Tendo. Both say to call the clinic. Is the Doc back?" he asked shrewdly. Chie could tell he had already guessed the answer.

"Yes, Ranma. He's back."

"Hmmm…well unfortunately she's not here. But I'm feeling bored, so maybe I'll add to the message pile and take a little walk. You never know who you'll bump into."

"Thanks Ranma."

"No problem." With that, he was gone.

Two hours more passed. Tofu sent Ando out to get lunch for the staff. Chie looked at waiting room again. It was *still* full. More folks had heard that Tofu was back and were seeking to sneak in now. Most of them were not serious, but things had taken on a life of their own. Where was Kasumi?

After lunch, the door opened and Happosai stumbled in. The ancient pervert was acting as if he was dying. "Please!" he cried. "I must see the doctor."

Ando ran over to him. "What can I do for you?" he asked.

"No! I need to see a real doctor. Not some whipper-snapper like you!" Happosai wheezed. "Oh, what's a poor old man to do with this pain?"

Chie had several suggestions that she could give him, but Tofu wouldn't approve. She had to admit the look on Ando's face was priceless though. Happosai shuffled over to Chie. "Please Mrs. Shimizu! Is Doctor Tofu in?"

Mrs. Shimizu? Not sweetie pie or honey? Now she knew he was faking. She was about to scold him when she felt a hand drop to her shoulder. "It's all right Mrs. Shimizu." Tofu was holding his forehead with his other hand. "Please, Master Happosai. Follow me immediately."

Happosai looked torn. He obviously did want to talk to Tofu, but he didn't want to pass up a chance to harass a nurse. Tofu didn't give him a choice though. He escorted him rather firmly into the inner office. Chie sighed when the door closed. What did Happosai want with the Doc? When the old man had gotten sick, it was always beyond any doctors' ability to treat, including Tofu's.

She started to shuffle through the paperwork again when a chill touched her. She would swear that a cloud just passed in front of the sun. She heard the outside door slam open and then watched the inside entrance door fly open. A beautiful young woman stood in doorway surrounded by a light she seemed to have brought with her. She wore a lovely skirt that stopped a decent length above the knee and a bright multi-color short-sleeved blouse. Her long brown hair was tied off in a pony tail that flowed forward over right shoulder. While her face looked calm, she also emitted a deep blood-red battle aura visible to the naked eye. Patients in the waiting room shrank into themselves as her implacable eyes swept across them. Chie knew that Kasumi Tendo always strove to maintain an aura of calm and peace. Part of it was the young woman intrinsic nature while part of it was her Tai Chi training. However, this was the closest she had ever seen Kasumi get to being angry – and she fervently hoped to never see full blown anger from the young lady.


	3. Kasumi

Chapter 3: Kasumi

It was just not her morning. Kasumi was thoroughly exasperated with the crowds in the market. She had never seen the market this busy so early on a Thursday. She had left the dojo early this morning with the intention of grabbing a few things from the market and going straight back. After all, she would need to make a more thorough run later once she talked to Nabiki about what the middle sister wanted to take away to college. However, it seemed that people were deliberately trying to slow her down. The first complication had been Nodoka, who insisted on joining her. It was obvious the woman had something on her mind…

The conversation started off innocently enough with Nodoka commenting on how well Akane and Ranma were getting along. Kasumi wanted to encourage the status quo for a while, so she agreed, "Yes, Auntie. Both Akane and Ranma have relaxed around each other since Father stopped pushing them. I think there may even start dating soon if people continue to leave them alone." Actually, Kasumi knew that they already spent a fair amount of time together. What else was a date after all?

"Oh, that would be wonderful! Then they could get married and have granchil… I mean children." Nodoka exclaimed.

Kasumi's eye twitched and she counted backwards from ten. "Nodoka, they are still children themselves. They won't start their Senior year until next week, and they really should have a college degrees before opening the dojo full time."

Nodoka looked puzzled. "What do they need college for? Ranma can learn what he needs from Soun and Genma. And a good wife should provide heirs for her husband."

Kasumi stopped cold and looked at Nodoka. "Auntie, what's today's date?"

"Huh? Oh let's see. It's April 4th."

"And the year is 2002, correct?"

"Yes, my dear."

"Just checking." Kasumi thought a bit, and then continued: "Nodoka, let's look at things this way. Who maintains the finances in your household?"

"Why I do. Genma tends to be a bit of a spender, so I've learned to keep an eye on things. When he was away on the training trip, I had to maintain things myself, and I haven't really given them back." Nodoka answered, and then she looked troubled at what she had said.

Kasumi followed up: "In our household, I manage all the money with help from Nabiki. Once a week, I use to go to Father and have him sign whatever I needed. When my mother was alive, she ran the dojo finances."

Nodoka looked even more troubled now. "So neither Genma nor Soun knows how to run the finances of dojo?"

"No. That's one of the reasons why Akane and Ranma need to go to college, Auntie," Kasumi stated. Kasumi was about to say more when the two ladies were interrupted.

"Hello Miss Tendo." It was the Mr. Saitou who owned one of the local café restaurants, which Nodoka and Kasumi had stopped outside of. "Could I trouble you for a minute?"

The ladies turned to greet the café owner. "Well hello Mr. Saitou. What seems to be the problem?" asked Kasumi.

"Oh, no problem, but I was wondering if I could borrow you palate for a few minutes. You see, I've been trying to perfect an American chili dish, and I'd like your opinion. You seem to have a knack for getting some of the overseas recipes correct."

"Well, we were just on our way to the market center to pick up a few things…" Kasumi started.

"Please Kasumi, it will only take a few minutes," Mr. Saitou begged.

"Well…" Kasumi looked at Nodoka.

"We're not in any great hurry, Kasumi. Why not?"

"I suppose you're right, Auntie" Kasumi reluctantly agreed.

Mr. Saitou beamed. "Wonderful!" Come right in ladies!" He hustled them into his café, causing Akane to miss both women as she returned from her morning jog. He led the two women to a booth and had a busboy fetch them some water. "I'll be right back."

Once there were alone, Nodoka picked up something that was mentioned earlier. "Kasumi, you mentioned that you 'use to go to Soun' once a week. What happens now?"

Kasumi shrugged her shoulders. "Everything is in my name. When Father decided that it would be a while before Akane and Ranma got married, there were tax implications that Father wanted to avoid. I didn't really understand it, but I guess Genma insisted that Father needed to hand the dojo off to Ranma as soon as possible. Without a wedding though, Father couldn't do that. However, since I am of age and I have no income, Father decided that he could avoid the taxes this way. Once the dojo was transferred, Father also gave me Power of Attorney."

Kasumi winced internally. She wasn't really lying she reminded herself, but she was omitting several facts. First off, Genma had been lying – since Soun's own income was limited (at least the income he reported), there were no tax benefits whether Soun, Kasumi, Ranma, or Akane held title to the dojo. Fortunately, Nabiki had picked up on the lie and had inserted herself into the discussion. By backing Genma, the two had doubled team Soun to convince him that there was a real benefit to transfer the dojo to someone else. However, Nabiki had stunned Genma by suggesting that transferring everything to Kasumi would do just as well. She had even used the tax code to justify her position, something Genma couldn't do. Granted, this was a case of "the devil quoting scripture", but neither man understood the tax code well enough to defy her. By suggesting Kasumi as the title holder, Nabiki had stymied any objections Genma could raise because, of course, Kasumi would act honorably and transfer the title to Akane when the time came.

In the end, Nabiki had drawn up the papers, got Kasumi and Soun to sign them and had them filed before the panda knew what happened. The papers did not really do what Soun thought they did though. In truth, Soun still owed the dojo, but now Kasumi owned a small bit as well – just enough to prevent any sales or transfers without her permission. Had Kasumi actually been given the full title, a very heavy inheritance tax would have kicked in, forcing the family to sell the dojo to raise the money. However, with Nabiki's little legal shuffle, Kasumi share of the dojo would increase with every passing year. In addition, when Nabiki came of age, she would also be given a share of the dojo every year, as would Akane. The final result would be that the three sisters would own the dojo eventually, bypassing the inheritance tax, so long as Soun lived to a healthy old age.

As far as the Power of Attorney, _Kasumi_ was the one who got her father to sign the papers since he could not refuse her anything. Admittedly, she had done it to get a tighter hold on the family finances. Since Genma had been successfully filling Soun's head with nonsense, Kasumi didn't want to take a chance on the money the family had coming in being diverted to one of Genma's schemes. Even with Nabiki's hidden resources taking care of her tuition, money was still going to be very tight and Kasumi wanted money together to send Akane to college. Kasumi didn't know what she was going to do for money for her own college, but sometimes you had to take it one bridge at a time. The ultimate result of the girl's action was that Genma was cut off from affecting the Tendo's finances. Soun only wanted money for his cigarettes and some saki, and pretty much gave whatever he earned (here and there) to Kasumi for the household. If Genma tried to interfere with the monies, it only took a few scarce dinners to convince him to cut it out.

The busboy brought them water and some bread. Kasumi had started to take a drink when Nodoka spoke up again. "Well, since everything is in your name, maybe you and Ranma should get marry then."

Kasumi began coughing and sputtering as water flowed down the wrong pipe. Nodoka looked at her in alarm. "Are you all right?" Nodoka asked.

"Oh Kami!" Kasumi thought. "She's really gone around the bend now." She slowly got herself under control. "Excuse me, Nodoka?" Kasumi said around coughs. "What did you just say?"

Nodoka responded: "Well, I figured Akane would be Ranma's wife, and you would be his mistress, but if the property is already in your name, then it could work the other way around. This would get around your father's prohibition, you could have a child immediately, and then Akane could have one once school was done."

"Have a child?"

Nodoka continued: "Of course. I know you want a child. I can see it in your eyes every time you look at one. But given your preferences for women, you are going to need a man to provide sperm. Ranma can handle that."

*CRASH* Mr. Saitou had picked that moment to return with two bowls of chili. However, upon hearing Nodoka's statement, he tripped on his own feet and went down hard. Kasumi sat stunned for a moment before it occurred to her to check the fallen man. "Mr. Saitou!" she called stepping to help him. Nodoka looked on concerned.

Mr. Saitou took Kasumi's offered hand, slowly getting up. He looked Kasumi in the eyes and whispered "And the other woman is Mrs. Saotome?" At a nod from Kasumi, he said, "Please, I apologize. Let me get this mess cleaned up and I'll get a two more bowls."

"Oh my. But I don't want to put you out."

He took one of Kasumi's hands in his own. "No, no. Please. I really want your opinion. Please forgive the accident."

"There's nothing to forgive," Kasumi answered.

"Then you'll please try my chili?" he asked again. At Kasumi's nod, he patted her hand and then added "And maybe a little wine? I have a feeling you're going to need it." She negatively shook her head. He patted her hand again and then had the busboy move them to a new booth.

Kasumi sat down and immediately put her face in her hands. "Nodoka, please don't embarrass me again like that."

The silly woman looked at her not understanding. "But Kasumi, these days no one thinks twice about it. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Kasumi placed her hands on the table. "Nodoka, listen very carefully. I'M NOT GAY."

"Now dear," Nodoka gently explained. "Really, you haven't hid it all that well. In all the time I've known you, I've never once seen you look at a man. When a man does approach you and try and ask you out, it's obvious that you are pretending not to understand him. You have refined the gentle 'let down' to an art form. I've also seen you go off to be with that woman."

"What woman?"

"Why, the tall woman with the short black hair. She's about 180 cm tall and usually dressed in a gray gi."

Kasumi put her face back in her hands. "That's Shizuka. She's my Tai Chi instructor."

"You do Tai Chi?"

"Yes, Nodoka. I've practiced it ever since my mother taught it to me."

"But I've never seen you do it in the dojo."

"That's because Father locks himself in his room for three days if he catches me at it," Kasumi replied.

"Kasumi's mother was once one of the National Finalists in Tai Chi." Mr. Saitou cut in. He placed two bowls of chili on the table.

"You knew my mother Mr. Saitou?" Kasumi asked.

"Everyone knew your mother, Kasumi. She was a popular woman in Nerima – somewhat like her daughters." He grinned at her, and then grew thoughtful. "You should go to the library though and look through back issue of the local papers from when she was in high school. I think you'll be very surprised."

Kasumi was already surprised. Her father and mother had never mentioned any of this. Kasumi grabbed Mr. Saitou's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I will check. Thank you for the information."

"Good. Now try my chili."

Kasumi and Nodoka both took a spoonful. Nodoka was the first to speak: "There's no bite to it." Mr. Saitou shook his head.

"No, it's not spicy," agreed Kasumi. "It's a sweet chili instead, and I think you cooked it perfectly. But you won't be able to sell it to the game crowds trying to prove their bravery."

Mr. Saitou looked pleased. "It's not for the gentlemen. It's for their wives and girlfriends who prefer tamer food."

"Well, as long as you advertise it as Sweet Chili, I think you'll do well with it." Kasumi said.

"Perfect." Mr. Saitou topped off their bowls and filled the water glasses. "Well eat up and I'll let you get on with your day." He placed a hand on Kasumi's shoulder lightly. "I've got a few things to take care of in the kitchen. Thank you very much Kasumi."

"You are welcome."

The two women ate their chili without talking. Kasumi was lost in thought regarding what Mr. Saitou said while Nodoka just eyed Kasumi speculatively. As they finished, Nodoka broke the silence. "What about the plump woman who's always coming around the house?"

"Huh?" Kasumi came back to reality. "Oh right. Crazy woman in front of me," she thought. Out loud she said, "Plump woman? Oh, that's Chie. She works for Dr. Ono at the Ono Clinic. She's just a very good friend."

"The Ono Clinic?" questioned Nodoka. "Isn't that run by Dr. Ando?"

"No, Dr. Ando is a temporary doctor covering for Dr. Ono."

"I've been by there a few times, but I've only seen Dr. Ando."

"Dr. Ono is on a sabbatical. He's been gone for about eight months now. That's why you haven't seen him."

"It must be hard to run a clinic when you are not there," Nodoka said.

"Oh, Tofu calls in frequently to check on the place." Oh my! Kasumi realized she just made a mistake. Hopefully, Nodoka, didn't catch it.

But no such luck…"Tofu?" The older woman looked hard at Kasumi. "You know the doctor well?"

Kasumi slid out of the booth quickly. "Oops!" she said, looking at her watch. "You know, we really need to move along now Auntie." Kasumi stood up and went outside. When Nodoka stepped outside after her, Kasumi led the way at a brisk pace. As Nodoka hurried to catch up, the wheels in her head finally kicked into high gear, allowing her to make connections.

"Kasumi, wait!" She grabbed one of Kasumi's hands, causing Kasumi to stop. Nodoka's eyes were wide with distress as her foolishness caught up with her. "Oh gods, I really made a fool of myself. I'm so sorry, Kasumi! Please forgive me."

Kasumi looked at the ground. "You cannot say one word Nodoka. Not one. Not while he's away."

"Is it a secret then? Does he know? Does your father know?"

Kasumi sighed. "It's complicated. Something akin to Ranma's situation."

"Multiple fiancées?"

"No, multiple obligations. His and mine both."

"What about your Father?"

"Father suspects Tofu has a crush on me. Most of the town thinks so too. No one thinks I return his feelings. It is how we manage to keep things under control."

"So, Tofu knows you care for him." Nodoka stated shrewdly.

"Yes, but he has obligations."

"And you do too?" Nodoka asked. Kasumi nodded her head. Nodoka started to ask and then stopped. "Your family…" was all she said. Kasumi nodded her head again.

Nodoka drew Kasumi to her and hugged her.

"Careful Nodoka. You'll be seen in public hugging a lesbian." Kasumi said quietly.

Nodoka gave a sound, somewhere between a cry and a laugh and hugged the girl tighter. "I'm really, really sorry Kasumi. I am such a fool. It's just I've been living such a messed up life for so long now, I sometimes forget that the world doesn't revolve around me. Living with your family is the closest I been to normal in a long, long time. It's one of the reasons I haven't moved back to my house yet."

Kasumi relented and returned the hug. "Living with my family? Oh my, your life truly is messed up."

Nodoka laughed, and then pulled Kasumi into a walk. "Do you know when your doctor will return?"

Kasumi nodded. "Within the week. I'm pretty certain."

"What will you do?"

"I'm tired Nodoka. I'm tired of everything. I'm going to tell him I love him and obligations be damned. We will deal with them somehow."

"Well, I'll be cheering for you from the sidelines. Let me know if you need a hand. Who knows? If you can beat the complications, maybe the rest of us can…"


	4. The Market Place

Chapter 4: The Market Place

The two women started the shopping trip in earnest, but they immediately began hitting road blocks. It seemed everyone wanted to talk to Kasumi. They all acted like they hadn't talked to her in ages, despite the fact that she saw many of them within the past week. They wanted to know the latest doings with Ranma and Akane. They wanted to know where Nabiki was going to school. How was her father? Had he started to date yet? The questions went on and on. As soon as Kasumi finished to one person, another showed up.

Something odd was going on with the stores as well. She was after some standard food stuffs that she bought every week like clockwork, yet somehow, many of the stores were out of supplies. The owners were very apologetic, even going so far as to call around to their competitors to locate the items she needed, but why were the competitors located so far away from each other? One owner admitted that a bunch of delivery trucks had been in an accident that was tying up the roads. As such, many of the stores were down on stock this morning. Another owner confirmed the story, but something seemed off with the tale, although Kasumi couldn't quite place what it was. Some of the store owners were very aggressive as well. Kasumi and Nodoka were practically dragged into several shops by merchants. Most of what they were selling was not on Kasumi's shopping list, but the prices had been cut so drastically, Kasumi couldn't help grabbing things for the freezer.

The situation gradually started to filter into Nodoka's mind. For the longest time, she was preoccupied with the new insight she had of Kasumi. She had made such an incredible lapse of judgment and was horribly ashamed. She admitted to herself that it was all her fault. She had been living with the Tendos for five months now, and had been in awe of Kasumi. She was the perfect housewife (sans the husband of course). The girl was always cheery, even when things were at their craziest. She never wrecked a meal ever (unless Akane was helping), and it was impossible to faze her. Everyone in town loved her. No one could be that angelic. So, Nodoka had been looking for flaws, for the demon behind the angel.

The only thing Nodoka could come up with was the lack of men in the girl's life. Well, maybe it was because Kasumi was in love with Ranma, but wouldn't admit it. After all, Nodoka felt her son was *the* catch in the city. She also felt that Kasumi was *the* catch on the female side. It would be natural that there was a connection there, but that didn't match reality. Any moves Kasumi made in Ranma's direction were to subtly push him closer to Akane, which, Nodoka had to admit, worked far better than efforts made by everyone else combined. Plus, Ranma obviously didn't look at Kasumi as a potential mate. He treated her as a big sister, or even (much to Nodoka's envy) as a mother – more than his real mother. This only caused Nodoka to look harder for the demon.

She thought she had her break-though in the park one day. She had been out for a walk when she noticed Kasumi out ahead of her. She was about to call to the girl when she noticed a middle aged women waiting for Kasumi ahead. Kasumi had greeted the other woman with a warm hug, and the two had headed off, walking close together. That evening, Nodoka noticed that Kasumi looked tired and a little disheveled, but she seemed even more at peace than usual. Nodoka's mind had immediately found the gutter and pronounced judgment. Later on, when Nodoka had noticed that Chie was a frequently visitor to the dojo, Nodoka only saw it as further confirmation.

Her Tai Chi master and a woman who served as the go-between for Kasumi and her love. Nodoka felt like a complete idiot. Kasumi's only crime was to prefer an older man to her son – a man she probably knew well before Ranma. "Fool!" she chided herself. "God forbid that anything in life not involve the Saotomes. Moron!" To top it off, Nodoka had ripped the bandage off Kasumi's wound and poured salt in it. "No wonder I have no real friends," she thought to herself. "If you want to have a friend, be a friend first. I've been failing that test right from the start. Well, people change. I can change…"

With that resolution, Nodoka turned her thoughts outward again and noticed the situation. They had been shopping for two hours and the list was not completed yet. Even allowing for the stop at Mr. Saitou café, this was truly bizarre. Granted, people were always drawn to Kasumi, but this was ridiculous – even Kasumi was starting to look frustrated. So, Nodoka gave Kasumi's arm a squeeze as warning and began running interference by acting as if she hadn't a brain in her head. She usurped any conversation that went beyond "Hello" to a random topic and pinned it there, allowing Kasumi to bow out and scan the shopping aisles. As for the aggressive merchants, Nodoka would grab them by the arm and drag them into their stores to see what they offered. She would then yell the prices out in her loudest voice (as if in shock), which would attract other customers. This allowed Kasumi and Nodoka to move on while the merchant dealt with the feeding frenzy (the merchants soon gave up after the first three riots).

A bit after the third riot, the two women stood out of the way. Something wasn't right. The markets were way too crowded for a Thursday. "We're being delayed." Kasumi stated.

Nodoka nodded her head and stated, "I don't know why, or how come there are so many co-conspirators, but we are being targeted. I know it sounds paranoid, but the traffic patterns are heaviest wherever we are."

"It's not my birthday. I know of no special events in my family or town wide. What about you?"

"Nothing on my end. Do we give up and go home?" Nodoka asked.

Kasumi looked at the list. "We still need a few things for the next couple of days. This isn't hostile though. These people are my neighbors, they're not malicious. We're not in any danger, just being delayed. Are you up to a little test?"

"What did you have in mind?"

Kasumi gave her the shopping list. "Take the list and go over to Nakagawa's. Most of what is left on the list is there. I'm going to go to Fukuda's to get some oranges. First one done should find the other."

Nodoka took the list and went to Nakagawa's. As soon as she left the area around Kasumi, the crowd eased. Nodoka moved quickly, but kept glancing back at Kasumi to check on her. She also noticed that several other people were keeping an eye on Kasumi. At Nakagawa's grocery, Nodoka grabbed the supplies and checked out without an incident. As she left the store, she saw that the crowds were thickest around Fukuda's. She also noticed an elderly couple close by watching the crowds, so she slid quickly over to them.

"Is she all right?" the old woman asked her husband.

"Of course, but she's got to be getting frustrated. We are going to have to make this up to her," he responded.

"I wish this wasn't necessary."

"Me too, but things will be set right shortly."

"If not, a few of us women are going to make it right – and old man Tendo better not get in the way."

A second woman approached the couple. She cut in to the conversation: "Make that very shortly. The line's down. I think we can cut our poor kitten free now."

The man grunted, "Good. I'll start making the phone calls." He walked into a nearby shop.

Nodoka thought about confronting the two women, but discarded the idea. They had no reason to answer to her. She did want to be near Kasumi when she was 'cut free', so she started towards Fukuda's. As she waded back into the crowd, it began to thin, just a little, or maybe just spread out. The market was still busy, but not so nearly jammed packed. Nodoka caught up to Kasumi just as Kasumi was paying for the oranges. As the two women left the stall, Kasumi stated, "So, I am the target."

Nodoka nodded her head. "Actually, you *were* the target. I overheard a couple talking. Something has happened elsewhere that they called off this little operation. The actual words used were 'I think we can cut our poor kitten free.'"

"Hmph. Did you hear anything else?"

"Just something about a line being down and setting things right."

"Setting things right? What have I done that needs to be set right?" Kasumi asked puzzled.

"I think it was more about the conspirators making it up to you for this little exercise. And that your father should stay out of their way,"

Kasumi shook her head. "I don't think it's possible for Father to be in anyone's way." She thought about it some more and sighed. "Well, this kitten is tired. Let's go home."

"Sounds good to me." Nodoka replied.

* * *

The walk home was uneventful, except for some road closing. The two women had to take a slightly longer path home. Once home, Kasumi checked the answering machine and the message board, but there was nothing unusual. They put away the groceries and discussed what happened at the market. After attempting to sort out who the conspirators were and what was the goal of the delays, they had to give up. There just wasn't enough information. Kasumi didn't feel like calling around trying to scare up gossip either – that was Chie's job. Kasumi would call her closer to the end of the day and find out if she heard anything, allowing time for the rumor mill to work.

In the meantime, the two women sat in the kitchen and relaxed. The conversation mostly consisted of Nodoka asking Kasumi about her Tai Chi training and how far she had progressed in it. Nodoka asked a few peripheral questions about Tofu, but behaved herself for the most part, something which amused Kasumi. The older woman was clearly dying with curiosity, but Kasumi could tell she was trying to make up for her early behavior. However, since Kasumi was human, she wasn't about to let Nodoka off the hook yet.

Surprisingly, no one was around for lunch. They knew Nabiki was shopping in downtown Tokyo and was gone for the day, and Soun was at an all-day meeting with the town council, but Ranma, Akane, Genma and Happosai should have been around. Nodoka gave a quick sweep of the rooms to see if anyone was sleeping. She found a note from Genma in their room explaining that he had left to join Soun and would return when Soun did. Kasumi checked the dojo. She found that Ranma had done his chores, but nothing else was obvious.

About 1:30PM or so, the front door opened and Akane's cheery "We're home," rang out, followed by a "Hey, Mom" from Ranma.

"We're in the kitchen." Nodoka shouted.

Akane and Ranma walked in eating ice cream cones. Akane stared at Kasumi. "Sis? What are you doing here?"

A premonition hit Kasumi, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. "Where else would I be, Akane?"

"Um," Ranma started. "Maybe at the clinic. They called the house a few times looking for you."

"What?"

Ranma looked at the message board. "There were three notes on that board: one from Akane, one from your father, and one from me. They all said the same thing – call the clinic." Ranma walked over and checked around the board. There were no signs of the messages. He also looked at the answering machine. "There was an old message on the machine when I left this morning. It's been erased."

Nodoka looked at Ranma, "Who was in the house when you left?"

"Just the freak. He was snoozing away. I think he had been on a late night panty raid again." Ranma answered.

"Back up a second," Kasumi asked. "Why did the clinic call?"

Ranma looked at Akane and raised one eyebrow. Akane took the hint and stepped away from the door. She then looked at her sister mischievously and said two words "Tofu's back."

* * *

Kasumi was out the door before anyone could say anything. She was also trying to control her emotions with every aspect of Tai Chi she could summon – otherwise, she would be in a royal rage. She had been diverted. Twice. The town people she could understand. As much as they loved her, they wanted access to Ono's skills for their sick. Ando was just an ordinary doctor – no better or worse than any other. Tofu was a mage, and the locals knew it somewhere in their subconscious. He couldn't cure the incurable, but he could take away a lot of their pain and that was worth something else all together. She could forgive them. They at least felt remorse for herself and Tofu. Happosai was another matter. Retribution was coming. She stormed into the clinic and swept the room with her eyes. People waiting to see the doctor began to shrink into their seats. Ando looked at Kasumi and swallowed hard. Her face was calm but her blazing eyes froze him still. The small ever-present smile was missing.

"Where is Happosai?" she asked in a low whisper.

Ando whimpered slightly, but Chie came to his rescue. "Come on, Kasumi. Don't disappoint Shizuka," she said. "You are a martial artist. And your scaring people, honey."

Kasumi counted backwards from ten and slowly drew her battle aura back inside herself. She looked at Ando, her eyes still blazing implacably. "Is there anyone here you cannot handle? Anyone who has already seen you and had to come back?"

Ando shook his head silently. Kasumi looked to address the remaining patients (some had snuck out the door). "Doctor Ono has just come back from a long trip and needs to relax. None of you have an appointment to see him today, or tomorrow for that matter. Dr. Ando would be happy to see anyone who needs a doctor today. I'm sure Mrs. Shimuza would be happy to schedule you an appointment for next week if you insist on seeing Dr. Ono. But Dr. Ono will be seeing no one else this week unless there is an emergency." She swept the room again, noting that a few more people had left. The remaining people just nodded their heads as Kasumi caught their eyes. "Good. Dr. Ando, I will get out of your way now."

Kasumi approached Chie. As she placed her hands on the counter, Chie grabbed them. "O.K. honey. Just calm down a little more. We really don't want the police here"

"Oh, don't worry Chie. I'm not going to lay a hand on Happosai." A small smile came out. "He'd get too much pleasure out of it." With that, Kasumi strode off to the examination room. She paused outside the door and seemed to gather herself. She then threw open the door yelling "Tofu, my darling!"

Chie heard Tofu's cry of "Kasumi!" followed by the sound of joints popping and Happosai screaming like a damned soul. The remaining patients sank even further into their chairs and Doctor Ando went very pale.

"Oh dear," Chie thought. She was an old hand at estimating Kasumi-related damage. "Sounds like she got all four limbs dislocated with that one."

* * *

Next: Resolution


	5. Resolution

Chapter 5: Resolution

Kasumi sized up the situation. Happosai had stopped screaming after the initial shock and was now just moaning loudly. Tofu was babbling though. "Kasumi! It's great to see you!' This was said to Happosai. "Chie, Could you get some tea for Kasumi?" This was said to Kasumi. His eyes were terribly unfocused. There where twitches in his muscles and tics in his face. He was having a tough time fighting the Binding between them.

"He's been seeing patients all morning, many of them in a bad way." Kasumi thought. "Whatever power he managed to store up has probably been spent taking care of the sick. I need to get him calmed down." She thought over several alternatives, and with a grin, picked the simplest. Kasumi walked over to Tofu grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a very deep kiss. The effects were rather dramatic – he stopped twitching and relaxed into the kiss. He couldn't quite return it, but he didn't fight her either. She released him and looked at her handiwork.

It seemed as if the Binding now claimed him, but there were signs that it was not as complete as usual. There was a slight smile on his lips and the eyes did not look as blank as they did when the Binding held him. She would swear she saw a twinkle there. She grinned again at him and placed a hand on his cheek. Kasumi said to him; "I'll deal with you in a minute. First, I need to take care of our audience." Yep, definitely a twinkle there. She had the doctor sit down and then turned to toward Happosai.

After a glance, Kasumi went over to one of the medical drawers and pulled out a set of heavy rubber gloves knowing that Happosai could steal Chi from her if she wasn't careful. The old man required a certain amount of emotional output from his target in order to take Chi. Kasumi usually had too tight a hold on her emotions for him to get much from her, so for the most part, he left her alone (besides, he liked her cooking). Now, her own engine was running a little high, and she couldn't quite count on her usual control. Donning the gloves, she walked over to the groaning little man and poked one of his sleep points. He tried to make a quick twist to avoid her, but his limbs wouldn't respond, so she tagged him and he was out. She then poked a few more points to deepen the sleep and started on the pain blocking points. Once Happosai seemed completely relaxed, she checked the real damage. All four limbs were dislocated, but nothing was broken. Not too bad. Kasumi gently popped the limbs back into place, stopping to press on a pain blocking point anytime she noticed a tremor. When done, she reinforced the sleep points. Hopefully, the old man would stay under for several hours, although this was Happosai – it might last only minutes. Either way, at least the pain should be manageable when he woke up.

Kasumi heard a voice behind her. "Wow." Chie stood in the doorway. "We should ditch Ando and hire you. And here I thought I'd be calling a funeral home."

"I was a little miffed," Kasumi admitted. "But, there should be limits for everything – even for Happosai." She smiled now.

Chie raised her eyebrows. "And what was his crime?"

"He destroyed the messages left at the house for me. At least three that I know of, and probably a few left on the answering machine. I have a feeling that some of the town folk left messages for me as an apology."

"Apology?"

"Yes, this morning they played a little game of keep Kasumi away from Tofu so they could see the doctor before me. I should be angry with them I suppose, but I can understand why they wanted to see him quickly. Pain is never fun."

"No, and some of them were in a bad way." Chie added.

Kasumi pulled off the gloves, sighing. "I'm sure they were. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to our dear doctor alone."

"Spoilsport. Should I take Happosai out?"

"No, leave him here. I don't want to inflict him on the nurses. I'll keep an eye on him – well, as much as anyone can. Please tell Doctor Ando that this room is in use."

"All right, Kasumi." With that, Chie quietly closed the door.

Kasumi walked over and knelt before Tofu looking up into his eyes. She took his hands in hers and began to focus on her Chi and Tofu's. The last month or so had been quite an education. Between dealing with Henna and the children, and the lessons she received from Ranma, she had become very sensitive to the Chi flows around her and could even manipulate her own to an extent. She wasn't up to Akane's Chi packed punches, and certainly not up to Ranma's out and out Chi blasts, but she could generate an emotion aura and use it to influence those around her. However, now she used it to trace the Binding between herself and Tofu. Three years ago, she had accidently placed this controlling link on the good doctor. It had happened due to some ill advised words from Kasumi and because Tofu had a highly developed spiritual side (due to his Kitsune heritage Kasumi later learned) and he loved her (whether he admitted it or not at the time).

The Binding placed Tofu in Kasumi's power anytime he looked at her unless he fought it, something he never enjoyed doing. A simple blindfold could nullify the Binding temporarily. Indeed, in the city of Nagoya they had enjoyed many dates with Tofu wearing black sunglasses and carrying a white cane – he could also use his Other Sight to augment his senses as necessary. But Kasumi didn't want to use a blindfold this time – not after missing him for the last five months. She wanted to see all of him and have him see her. Sometimes this was possible if Tofu had stored up enough mage power, but he had probably depleted his reserves healing the townsfolk. So, she figured that if the Binding could place him in her power, maybe she could feed him some of her power back up the link.

Tofu's eyes lost some of the amused look and became concerned. She could feel him resisting the flow, so she didn't push, but she didn't back down either. "Please," she whispered to him. "Let me do this for you. I've missed you too much, and I don't want to use the blindfold anymore. I'm tired of this Bind and most of all I'm tired of being without you. I don't care about the Council – whatever your obligations are, I accept them too. I won't pretend that the lot of a soldier's wife is easy, but I'll accept it to be with you. As for your mixed heritage, I like that you're part Kitsune. It certainly doesn't bother me. Please, don't shut me out. I love you."

Tofu's eyes widened at her statements and then soften. Kasumi felt his barriers loosen. He didn't drop them, but he did allow some of her power in to fight the Bind. She made a point of trying not to flood in. He dropped his head to hers and kissed her lips gently. "You are a little fool you know," he whispered. "You could have any man in this town, but you want a crazy mage/healer/Kitsune half-breed like me?"

"Yep." She smiled. "And you're only a quarter-breed. I'm hoping your natural form has a tail though. Could be interesting," she said mischievously.

"Hah!" he laughed back. "This is my natural form – mostly, I'm choosing to look a little older now. It's my spiritual form that has a tail." He sobered up quickly though. "Kasumi, I do love you, but are you sure about this? I still have a few secrets that I haven't told you yet."

"Will they change who you are?" she asked. At a shake of his head, she went on. "I have my own secrets too, but they don't change who I am either. It's all right for husbands and wives to surprise each other now and then, so long as it's not too big a surprise."

"And what about your own obligations?" he asked.

"I still have them, but I will always have them to some degree. It's not like I want to disown my family. The question is 'Can you accept my obligations as your own too?'"

"Hmmm" he smiled. "That's not fair. I think my obligations will fade long before yours do."

Now it was her turn to laugh back. "That's the price of love sometimes," she said.

"I haven't turned my back on your family yet, have I now?" he answered. Kasumi felt him relax the barriers more. Now it was if he was leaning on her, using her for support spiritually. "I hadn't plan on this. I'd thought we'd take our time…but sometimes, things have to happen in their own Time." She *felt* his thoughts reach out to a backpack in a corner behind them. There was a rush of something unfamiliar to her rising from his soul, something almost electric. At her look, he explained, "From my Father's side, I gained the ability of natural magic that I can use for healing and protection. However, from my Mother's side, I gained the Foxfire that can be used for illusions, shape-shifting, and to summon this…" In his hands, he held a small box.

"Wh-What?" Kasumi stuttered.

Tofu grabbed her around the waist, spun out of the chair and placed Kasumi there instead. He was on his knees before her. "There can be no illusions between us Kasumi. Not now," he said. At that, his physical features soften slightly. Before, he had looked about ten years older than Kasumi, he now looked in his mid-twenties. "You should also know that the crossroads I told you about has come and gone. From here on in, I will age one day at a time, just like you. My father was Eiko Ono while he lived. He was the son of Kiyoshi Ono and died at age 95. My mother you have met, Kin Ono, who was born Kin Kitsune to her mother, Hana Kitsune, born a true Kitsune. Among the Kitsune, who still claim me, and my father's family, who also acknowledge me, I am known as Tofu Kitsune Ono." He opened the box to reveal a ring with a beautiful central diamond stone set among four small sapphires.

Kasumi stared. "Oh my. I saw that ring in Nagoya. I never pointed it out to you. How did you…" Tofu put a finger to her lips, and then pulled it away when she stopped.

"No. You're here to answer a question, not to ask. Kasumi Tendo, eldest daughter of Soun and Kimiko Tendo, all I can offer is a loving heart and soul. Will you please marry me?"

Kasumi's brain began shorting out as she looked back and forth between the ring and Tofu. Fortunately, her body and soul knew what to do. She threw herself forward into her fiancé's arms yelling "YES!" Somehow, between the tears and the kisses, the ring managed to find its way onto her finger. She wasn't surprised it was a perfect fit.

The couple embraced for some time before thought of the world intruded. Kasumi was the first to notice the most obvious trivial fact – the absolute silence of the clinic around them. "Tofu?" she started.

"Yes?"

"Has the clinic shutdown? It's very quiet for not even being 3PM."

He looked about in concern and then relaxed "Oh, it's not quiet – but it's quite busy with busybodies!" he said in a sharp tone. At that moment, there was whistling and cheering behind Kasumi. She turned and saw Ando, Chie, Happosai, and about half a dozen patients in the doorway.

"About time," Happosai called out.

"Oh my. Have you been there the whole time?" a red-faced Kasumi asked.

"Well, the others showed up after you said 'Yes'. You didn't give me a whole lot of options," Happosai replied.

"You didn't deserve a whole lot of options, Grandfather." Kasumi replied sharply.

He stretched, cracking a few joints. "Perhaps, but I've been punished. Your technique's pretty good though. A little more practice and you can hang a shingle out with your husband-to-be. Don't judge me too sharply until you've heard me out later though."

"And what about the rest of you?" Tofu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh come on Ono", Ando responded. "They probably heard Kasumi's answer in the marketplace."

"We did wait to make sure that the 'Yes' was in response to a marriage proposal and not something else though" Chie added offhandedly causing the couple to blush. "By the way, Kasumi, you've got tonight to break it to the rest of the family. By tomorrow morning, it will be the talk of the town." Kasumi opened her mouth to plead with her friend, but Chie cut her off: "Even if I wanted to, honey, there's no way to stop it. Too many people have been rooting for you two. Questions will be asked and some of those with the answers have already left." She walked over to the couple. "All right, I want to see it."

Tofu rose off his knees, lifting Kasumi with him. Kasumi held out her hand to her friend. "It is beautiful, Kasumi," Chie told her looking at the ring. "Nice job, doc. Oh, and it's good to see you with all your marbles too," she teased as she turned around to leave again.

Tofu turned a little red at some of the grins from the patients. "Never mind," he said to Ando questioning look. "All right, the engaged couple would like to be left alone now. Shoo! Show's over."

Everyone left but Happosai, who seemed lost in thought. He sighed and said "Well, I suppose we can do this later. Be gentle with each other though and I'm not talking the obvious." The couple looked at him nonplussed. He went on: "Both of you have had a rough couple of months emotionally, more than the other knows. I suppose that's for the two of you to talk about and sort out now. At least the Double Binding is in place. Both of you will be stronger with the other to lean on."

Kasumi started at that. "You knew about the Binding?" she asked amazed.

"Of course I knew. I knew the first time I saw the two of you together. There was nothing I could do about it, so I never brought it up though."

"But you diverted Kasumi so you could talk about her welfare with me?" Tofu asked in disbelief.

"Of course not." Happosai snorted. In response to their eye-rolls, he added, "Oh, I'm not completely heartless. I'll admit I had some concern for the two of you, but my primary goal was to retrieve my payment and convince you not to kill me for Kasumi's troubles – or rather skip the attempts to kill me. You're good, Kitsune, but not quite that good."

Tofu ignored the last statement, "Were you responsible for Kasumi's troubles?"

"No, I wasn't. I found out things way too late to be of any use. And, yes, had I known what was going to happen, I would have made an effort to stop it. She wasn't supposed to be involved in this mess."

"But, now she is."

"Yes, and that's for you two to talk about first. Then you can talk to me and I'll tell you what you need to know."

"Fine." Tofu walked over to his backpack and took out what looked like a bottle of water. He handed it to Happosai with a grim face. "Just so we are clear, I don't approve of this."

"It's not for you to approve or disapprove of," Happosai replied. "I cut a deal with the Council and this is my payment. Don't waste your breath saying anymore."

Kasumi looked steadily at Happosai. "All right, can you take one simple message for me back to the dojo without a side trip?" At his nod, she continued, "Please tell Nodoka and Akane to prepare a light meal for late afternoon. This evening, there will be a celebration dinner at the dojo that I'll bring. I'll make an announcement then. They should plan to eat about 8PM. I'll expect both families to be there and let them know there's a guest coming. I assume you'll be there too?"

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this for the world, my dear." With that, he hopped out the door.

Kasumi looked at Tofu. "Happosai knows about this mysterious Council?"

"Actually, Happosai is a member of the Council – yet another reason to frown on his wheeling and dealing." Tofu responded. "At least I don't take orders from him," Tofu added with relief.

"What is in that bottle? It looked like water."

"It is water. A very special water."

"The Water of Life? Akane mentioned it."

"No, but the Water of Life can be made from it, so long as you happen to have an eight headed dragon hanging around. It's one of those long stories I think we are going to have to share." Then Tofu cast a sly glance at his fiancée and said, "but maybe not today."

Kasumi caught the glance and discretely slipped off her shoes. The troublesome Binding was gone, replaced by the Double Binding as soon as she said "Yes." She could actually feel the shared vitality flow between them now. The one-sided strain was also gone from her beloved, and she began to wonder what else might flow between them. But it wasn't going to happen in the examination room – that she was determined. She thought about the distance to Tofu's private apartment and gave herself a 50-50 chance of making it before he caught her.

With a slight smile, the rabbit bolted with the fox close behind her. She never actually stood a chance of making it to the hole. The fox caught the rabbit and carried her home. And for once, a rabbit did not mind getting caught by a fox.


	6. Quiet Moments

Chapter 6: Quiet moments

Tofu and Kasumi lay on his bed, quietly enjoying the sensation of their embrace and the light flow of chi between them. Her head was tucked up under his chin, and she lay half on/half off of him. The only light in the room came through the window from the darkening skies of early evening. Kasumi looked down at her clothes which were best described as thoroughly mussed. She'd need to tidy up a bit before dinner. She's also needed to retrieve her bra from the floor. The cheat had used Foxfire to remove it, bypassing the blouse that she had been determined to keep on, although she had gotten his shirt off him. With a smirk (one of the few her face had seen), she replayed that little exchange in her head.

It had started innocently enough. They had taken a small break from kissing to talk and the subject of shape-shifting came up. Kasumi felt that if her husband-to-be could walk into the house in another form, she'd like a little more info so she could to tell him apart from a stranger.

He began: "Well, to start off, you'll always be able to tell me apart from anyone else."

"Huh?" she asked confused.

He got up from the bed. "Close your eyes," he told her. "Then see if you can track me…"

She never heard him move, but she *felt* him move. She raised her hand and pointed to where she thought he was. She felt him try to dodge her finger, but she was confident she was tracking him. After, a few minutes she opened her eyes. Her finger was pointing right at him.

"See?" he said.

"I can feel you."

"Because you and I are linked, and you accept me and vice versa, I can't fool you with another shape. Likewise, if someone else was to appear as me, you'd know it wasn't really me."

"I find that reassuring," Kasumi said.

"Me too," Tofu answered. "Minimizes the chance of someone playing head games with us."

"So, is the shape-shift an illusion, or an actual physical change?"

"There isn't a simple answer to that one. Depends on what's necessary to achieve the effect. I use an illusion to appear older – very low power draw. I can also slide my form from a rather large fox to a human fairly easily, but it's tough to change my mass. Requires a large amount of Foxfire and it wears on me greatly. The smallest I've ever made it was about house cat size (a large house cat at that), and I could only hold it for a few minutes. Increasing my mass is actually tougher. If I want to appear larger, it's easier to use an illusion backed with some simple tricks, a little telekinesis, and maybe even a Chi field."

"Well then, how about a demo? Change into a fox," she requested.

"Nope."

She pouted at him. "You'd deny your fiancée a simple request?"

"My clothes don't change, I'd have to strip," he stated with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't mind," she said impishly.

"And here I thought there was a certain charm to pacing ourselves," he laughed, and then he leaned in and kissed her.

She returned the kiss and added with a smile, "There is, and there's even some necessity to it as well. But I can still admire my husband-to-be."

"How about a compromise?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he stepped back and gave a dramatic little spin. When he stopped, he was himself, but he now sported a magnificent red fox tail. His human ears were gone and a set of fox ears appeared on top of his head. His shirt was now open about half way down his chest. When he smiled at Kasumi, she saw that his teeth had also changed – they were a little longer and thicker and there was no doubting that the canines were more pronounced, something that sent a thrill down her spine. Kasumi couldn't help herself. He looked every bit the dashing rogue out of a fantasy romance story. She gave a squeal of delight and rushed to kiss him. He caught her easily and joined her in the kiss.

When they stopped, she continued to hug him with her head tucked just under his. Tofu said, "This is my spiritual form. This is what I look like when I spirit walk or appear before the Council. I can hold this form just as easily as my mortal form in any realm. I trust you approve?"

Kasumi squeezed him a little tighter and giggled. She then raised her eyes. With a sparkle shining in them, she said "Oh my. I don't know. You look more like Inuyasha than you do Shippo." She ran her hand under the open shirt. His spirit form did not augment his musculature, nor did it need to – he was definitely a martial artist.

He grinned at her. "I'm pretty sure Inuyasha doesn't have a tail."

"Ahhh, but where's your fur, Kitsune?" As she massaged his muscles, fur covered his chest between one heart beat and the next. Her hands moved to his back pushing his shirt off. As she continued, he began to massage her back, slowly drifting down her to her waist. He then began pulling her blouse out of her skirt, but stopped when he felt her hands still and she began to shake.

Gently he asked, "Are you all right Kasumi?

"If you take my shirt off, I'm done for," she whispered. "I have wanted you since I was eighteen years old. And now you're here, and you're mine, and I won't stop. And tonight's a very bad night as far as my body's timing goes. Or rather, it's a very good night – a little too good. I don't want to use condoms for my first time – I don't trust them. I want you, and I'll admit I want children, but I also want a proper wedding, not a rushed one. I'm sorry, I'm just not ready…"

"Shhh," he cut her off. "I'm not a teenage boy in a hurry. I've waited a long time for you too, and I can wait a little longer. One advantage of a long life is it gives you a great perspective and a lot of patience." He brought a hand up and cupped her face, gently making eye contact. "It's all right." He kissed her lightly then held her until her shaking stopped.

A few minutes after that, Kasumi spoke up, "Tofu?"

"Hmmm?"

"I like your mortal form and I like your spirit form, but lose the fur. It's a bit much." She smiled as she felt his laughter shake her. The fur vanished. "You're not sore at me?" she asked.

"No, of course not," he replied. "Besides, Kitsune don't get sore, we just get even." The twinkle was back in his eyes.

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"I don't have to plan. It's already done. You got my shirt off, but declared your own off-limits. So I had to settle." He held up her bra in one of his hands.

"Oh my!" she said stunned. Kasumi now noticed that her chest had a more freedom than she was used to. The surprise gave way to mock outrage. "You fink! You are just like a teenage boy."

Tofu let the garment fall to the ground. "Maybe," he responded impudently. "I have heard it said men never grow up." Kasumi grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. He grabbed another and fought back. The pillow fight led to a tickle fight, which led to more interesting games.

Kasumi's thoughts brought her back to the present. She looked at her fiancé, still in his spirit form. His tail had wrapped itself around one of her legs. She rapped her hand against Tofu's bare chest.

"Yes?" he drawled.

"Since when is a fox's tail prehensile?"

"Complaints, love?"

"No, but I am beginning to understand why some people like tentacle porn." His answering grin was contagious. Just then, the alarm clock went off. It was now 6:45PM.

"Damn" he said, sitting up.

"I never knew you even set it."

"Let's just say, that I knew it was possible for us to get lost in the moment." He reached over and shut it off. "I suppose we better get moving."

Kasumi sighed. "I suppose. Our clothes are a little wrinkled though."

He stood up. "Yep. Why don't you grab the shower first and leave your clothes out in the hall? I'm going to cheat a little…"

"Do you cheat often?" she asked also getting up.

"Yep, every day. It helps to stay in practice. For what it is worth, I never cheat at anything important."

See smiled at him. "Good to know."

"Does Shibata's still have good food?" he asked.

"Oh my. You want to order sushi for nine people? Actually, considering Ranma and Genma, more like fifteen?"

"It's a special occasion."

"Well, yes, but a little extravagant. You always struck me as a little more modest."

"You mean more like a monk."

"Well, yes," she said with a small smile.

"Admittedly, I live rather simply, and I'm not likely to change, but we should be allowed to celebrate every once and a while. Don't you think? I have some means after all – I promise I won't bankrupt us."

"That's a nice word," she commented.

"What? Bankrupt?"

"No, smartass. US." Kasumi swatted his backside as she made the comment.

Tofu laughed and kissed her. "Yes, it is. I'm going to go order the food." He handed her a robe. "I'll be back for your clothes in a few minutes."

* * *

Kasumi came into the kitchen wearing the robe and drying her hair. She found Tofu setting some money on the table for the delivery man. She noted her clothes were hanging nearby, looking fairly presentable. "Not bad," she said. "So you can just wave your hand and get clean clothes?"

"Hah! No I can't, so don't get any ideas. It takes way too much energy to clean clothes that way. Four small garments I can swing, but I'm going to find something else for myself."

"Aw, but they are even properly pressed. Ironing is not something I enjoy."

"Me neither," he said as he pointed at the ironing board he had left out. "And not something I can do with a wave of a hand. I hand-washed your clothes as needed with soap and water. The only 'magic' I used was to agitate the water where appropriate and to dry the clothes quickly. If you want me to do my part around the house, that's fine. But be prepared to hand me a mop and bucket."

"And here I thought I was marrying an all-mighty magic user…" she teased.

"One of these days, we will discuss the limitations."

"But not today" she finished for him. "Let me get changed and you can go get cleaned up."

* * *

A little later, he came back to the kitchen ready to go. Kasumi sat looking at the rather large order she had just taken from the delivery man. "Oh my," was her only comment.

"Well fed people will give us less of a fight," he told her.

"You're expecting a fight?" she asked.

"From your father? Oh yeah. I'm taking his little girl. He's going to have a lot to say on the matter. Speaking of which, where did I place that sake?" Tofu began searching through cabinets.

Kasumi sat lost in thought for a minute and sighed. "I'm going to need to make a preemptive strike on Nabiki as well. She knows I've set my cap for you, and she is going away to school on Monday, but she's prone to jealousy concerning Akane or myself."

"Is that why she gives Ranma a hard time?" he asked.

"One of many reasons, but she's gotten better lately," Kasumi replied. She thought some more about it. "All right, there's something I want to settle before we confront my family." At Tofu's nod, she continued. "When do you want to get married?"

He thought for a minute and replied, "No sooner than three months, no longer than twelve."

"Why?"

"Because I want some time for us to enjoy being engaged. We've had a strange courtship going on for the last three years. I'd like to have a little normalcy (as much as possible in Nerima) before tying the knot. On the other hand, I asked you for a reason. I want to share my life with you, and I don't want to waste time either. We're mortal, and we never know what's down the road. Whatever it is, I want to face it together."

Kasumi shrugged. "Sounds logical to me. How about New Year's Day then?"

Now it was his turn, "Why?"

"Because, I've always liked the idea of new beginnings lining up with the New Year. Despite always being the practical one, I've romanticized that day for my wedding."

"Sounds as good as any reason. One condition though – We file the paperwork on last business day before the New Year." At her questioning look, he continued, "Things have a way of getting out of control in Nerima. If we have to rush off and save the world on New Year's Day, I want it to be as husband and wife."

"There's a certain fallacy in that condition – there's nothing to say that the disaster won't be on the day we try and file," she pointed out.

"Yes, but hopefully we can get our act together by New Year's Day and have the ceremony proper." He grinned ruefully at her. "I acknowledge I'm being a little silly. I'm setting up two possibilities. Hopefully, both will work out, but I'll consider it a success if either one does."

Kasumi gave him a small smile. "Paranoid are we?"

"So says the woman who was diverted twice in one day."


	7. At the Dojo

Chapter 7: At the Dojo

Ranma sat on the roof of the house letting his stomach settle. He had eaten just enough of Akane's cooking to keep her happy. Fortunately she was getting better, even without Kasumi standing over her with a mallet, so it wasn't *that* bad. Nothing that the few antacids he had taken couldn't handle. He was hopeful that Kasumi and Dr. Tofu would bring something decent. It wasn't too hard to figure out what was going to happen tonight, although Mr. Tendo was totally oblivious to the matter. Akane had been fluttering back and forth to the front windows, looking for all the world like a hummingbird approaching a flower. His mother had been acting just as badly and she had never even met the Doctor. Genma was looking worried, something that almost never happened in Nerima. Ranma had seen him dig out a few bottles of sake and then just sit with the bottles unopened, contemplating the containers. He had finally put them away and talked Mr. Tendo into a game of Go.

Ranma had decided to go up on the roof and have a pity-party. It wasn't going very well though, which was frustrating him. Shouldn't he feel sorry for himself? Kasumi would be leaving the dojo and going to live with the Doc in the near future. That meant no more great meals. No more laundry service. No more hot chocolate waiting for you when you came in the door during winter. No more cookies for a study break. No more someone checking up on you in the middle of the night to make sure you were sleeping soundly. No more badgering to make sure the homework was getting done. No more cheering you up when you were down. No more worrying about Kasumi wasting her life taking care of ingrates…

Damn it…he did it again. Any time he tried to concentrate on the negatives, the positives kept slipping in and he could feel the stupid smirk appearing on his face. Finally, he sighed to himself. All right… it wasn't the end of the world he admitted. She would only be down the street. He could still stop in and steal a treat (like he wasn't at the clinic enough anyway). She would still be around for him to talk to. She would still be concerned about his well-being. She would be very happy (or he'd make the Doc pay – not that he was really worried about that aspect – the Doc adored her). She would still be his friend (or was that big sister?)…

He lay down on the roof and watched the sky move through evening toward nightfall. His thoughts drifted with the clouds until he began to think about the others around him and how they would be affected. Akane would be fine. She wanted her sister to have a future. Besides, Ranma had no intention of letting the Tomboy be lonely. Genma wouldn't notice until the day Kasumi left on her honeymoon. Even then, from what Ranma had seen of Nodoka's cooking, he might not even notice. Nodoka would be happy to assume the Matriarch's duties for both families until she went home, something that probably wouldn't happen until Akane and Ranma were married. Soun would be a mess of course, but he was already a mess – Ranma briefly considered what it would take to have him sedated until after Kasumi's honeymoon.

However, it was Nabiki who strayed into Ranma's thoughts the most this evening. She had listened to Happosai's message with her face turning grim. Then she had grabbed the handset off of the phone and taken it to her room. No one had seen her since. Ranma would swear he had heard crying from her room, but when he checked, the lights were off and no one answered the door. He had thought about trying to be more forceful, but couldn't decide if he had the right. Since Kasumi's adventure over a month ago, the four of them had closed ranks. The world had become a more threatening place if even Kasumi could be placed in danger, so he and the Tendo sisters had decided to stand together. But now, Nabiki was to leave for college on Monday, and Kasumi was getting engaged. Where did that leave him? Probably a more important question was "Where did that leave Nabiki?" If he was real honest with himself – something that happened rarely, but it did – he had Akane. The two of them stuck by each other through thick and thin and there was a real bond there. Who did Nabiki have a bond with? Her sisters, that's who, and now both of them were engaged. Damn.

Ranma remembered being alone. It sucked. When he came to Nerima, he had no one. His father was not what you'd call a paternal being. But then he had come to the Tendo dojo. Immediately, Kasumi had opened her arms to him, serving as his foster mother. Akane had become his friend (and a bit more) after a very rocky start. Nabiki was something else though. She had started off neutral and grown into an antagonist, then the antagonism had cooled, and she became almost a sister to him, someone to verbally spar with and tease. Then, when Kasumi was kidnapped, he and Nabiki had been comrades-in-arms.

Hold on a minute….

Comrades-in-arms. He thought about that phrase, and it did apply to the two of them right now. He could take that mindset and use it. It wasn't the best, but it gave him an approach to Nabiki. The martial artist slid down the roof to hang outside Nabiki's window upside down. He rapped on the window and waited. No response. He rapped again and then settled in. She was in there. He could feel her ragged Chi. Maybe she'd talk to him, and maybe not, but he'd at least show some support for her and hang out. It wasn't as if he had somewhere else to go.

At least, that's what he thought. Unfortunately, between Akane's food and hanging upside down, his stomach was having a rough time. One or the other wouldn't have been as issue, but with the two of them together, Ranma was fighting a losing battle. "Oh shit". Ranma managed to get one hand on the roof before his stomach lost it. After the first few productive heaves, the window opened, and a hand reached out dragging him in. He quickly found himself draped facing out the open window, allowing his stomach to finish its date with gravity.

"Saotome, you are an idiot. And if you throw up in my room, I'm doubling your tab."

"Good to see you too, Tendo." Ranma straightened up a little.

"What the hell were you doing?"

"Duh, I was worried about you." Ranma allowed himself to collapse to her floor.

"No one worries about me. I do just fine."

"Bullshit. Your sisters worry about you constantly."

"You mean the two people running off to get married?"

"Oh yeah. Me and Akane are tying the knot tomorrow, right after my date with Mom's katana blade."

He could have dodged it. Nabiki was not a fighter and the blow was pitiful. He just accepted the slap from Nabiki.

"Feel better now?"

She looked at him and then just collapsed into a sitting position on her bed. "No." She looked at Ranma. "You can't kill yourself, shithead. Akane needs you."

"Yeah, well she also needs you, and she also needs Kasumi."

"Kasumi's getting married." Nabiki said petulantly.

"Doesn't mean she's running off. Just means you're getting a brother. You're going to college shortly. Did you want her to rot in this house?"

"I wanted her to be here for me though."

"I can relate to that, but I still want her to have a life."

"What do you mean by 'you can relate to that'?"

"Hell, you've met my parents, Nabiki. You think I see either one of them as parental figures?" She shook her head. "Your sister is the closest I've had to a real mother. Someone who's actually there for me and wants *nothing* from me. Do you know how rare that is in my world? And now she's hooking up with Tofu. I already had to share her with you and Akane, and now I have to add in the Doc to the equation. Still, I can't say she doesn't deserve a little real happiness. Can you?"

"She is *not* your sister, or your mother."

"True, there's not a drop of blood between us. Doesn't mean I don't consider her my friend. What's that line? 'Friends are the family you choose.'"

"Oh wow. I never thought you even knew how to read."

"Bait me all you want – doesn't mean I'm wrong."

"Get out."

"I'm leaving." He got up and turned toward the window and then paused before he went through. "You know, Nabiki, I have excellent hearing. Last month, just after Kasumi finished sweeping the floor with my ass and banished me to the kitchen, I heard what she said to you – She told you that you'd always have a place here. Do you think she meant the dojo, or do you think she meant her heart? And which would you prefer?" With that, he leapt out the window. It was a long time before Nabiki got up to shut it.

* * *

Ranma stood outside by the koi pond until he had found his own balance. What he had said to Nabiki rang true for him as well, so he decided to support the couple any way he could. He did approve of the good doctor, and he loved Kasumi like a sister. If they were happy, then he'd be happy for them. After finishing his own mental adjustments, he turned around and went into the house. It was almost eight o'clock and Akane looked like she was going to explode. He grinned to himself – she had obviously made those mental adjustments long ago. He snuck up behind her as she stared at the window. "BOO!" he yelled.

She slammed a hand to her chest in surprise and screamed "RANMA!"

He smirked and bolted as she gave chase, but the game was soon interrupted by a cheery "We here!" Kasumi and Tofu walked into the main room holding several bags of food. The other family members made an appearance to greet the new arrivals including Happosai, but Nabiki had yet to show. Akane had turned around to help Nodoka grab the food, while Genma and Soun where greeting Tofu and welcoming him back from his travels. Ranma went over and shook the Doc's hand as well. He took a good look at Tofu and decided that traveling must agree with him. The man should be as old as his father and Soun, but no one would guess that to look at him. He looked about thirty, Ranma decided. This struck Ranma as odd, come to think of it. Odd enough to double-check Tofu's Chi, but it seemed to be the same man he had known over the last two years. Of course it *was* really odd that Tofu was coherent around Kasumi – Ranma's paranoia made him watch the man carefully for a little bit, but again, Ranma couldn't see or feel anything wrong. He just gave himself a mental shrug and watched further.

* * *

Kasumi had surveyed the room and noticed the missing family member. First things first. "Auntie, this is my very good friend Doctor Tofu Ono. He owns the clinic that I mentioned earlier. He's been out of town for the last several months and just returned today. Doctor, this is Nodoka Saotome, Genma's wife."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Saotome."

"Please to meet you, Doctor, and 'Nodoka' will do fine, thank you." Nodoka studied the man in front of her speculatively, apparently looking for his halo.

As Tofu nodded his acceptance, Kasumi spoke up: "Auntie, could you please set the food out? I want to tell Nabiki dinner is here."

"No problem, dear." Nodoka replied.

Kasumi gave the woman a smile and turned to go up the stairs. Once upstairs, she knocked on Nabiki's door, and then went in without waiting for an answer. The room was dark, with only the night's faded light coming in through the window. Nabiki was laying on her bed watching her sister approach. Without a word, Kasumi sat down on the bed and leaned down to hug her sister. Surprisingly, Nabiki hugged her back. The two sisters stayed like that until Nabiki sighed and then broke the embrace to sit up and turn on her bedside light.

"All right, let's see it," she said resignedly.

Kasumi held up her hand with the ring and brought it into the light. "Somehow I managed to get Akane and Nodoka to miss it," she said.

Nabiki snorted, "Sorry sis. No medal there. Both of them are easy to fool." She looked at the ring. "Hmmm…looks like Tofu has good taste – twice over."

Kasumi smiled at her younger sister, "I thought you would give me more of a fight."

"Ranma stopped by earlier. He took most of the fight out of me."

Kasumi raised her eyebrows. "Oh my. Ranma? Open mouth, swallow foot to knee? That Ranma?"

"Hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day," replied Nabiki, then she sighed again. "It's all going to change now isn't it, sis?"

"Nabiki, it's been changing every day for a long time now. It's just changing a little faster right now. It will slow down again."

Nabiki just dropped her head.

Kasumi renewed the embrace and went on, "Just remember Miss College-Bound, you'll always have a place with me, whether here at the dojo, or over at the clinic."

Nabiki returned the hug again. "Yeah, I know. And I'll try to play nice with the Doc."

"Good. Thank you. Now, I think it's time for food – we have your favorite."

"Sushi?"

"From Shibata's."

"Whoa. Who'd you rob?"

"Tofu's not without his means, Nabiki."

"Hmmm…maybe you *should* hold onto him," Nabiki said cocking an eyebrow.

Kasumi laughed and hugged her sister tighter, and then she led her to the washroom. Once there, Nabiki repaired some of the damage her tears had done. She turned to Kasumi, "All right, are you ready for the main event? I'm sure Daddy's absolutely clueless."

Kasumi rolled her eyes. "There's nothing new about that, but, 'Yes', I'm ready."

* * *

Next: Game on.


	8. Game on

Chapter 8: Game on.

As soon as Kasumi had headed upstairs, Nodoka began grilling Tofu. Ranma watched the fun as he helped Akane set the food out. Fortunately, Tofu seemed to be an old hand at deflecting questions.

"So Doctor…"

"Unless you are seeing me as a patient, just 'Tofu' will do fine." He pulled out two large bottles of sake and placed them on the table.

Genma's eyes lit up. "Whoa, that's some of Sawanotsuru's finest there." As he reached for the bottle, Happosai's pipe immediately smacked his hand. "Oww! Master!"

"Show some respect for that nectar. You will not guzzle that. Get a wine bowl." Happosai stated.

"So Tofu, how long have you been practicing medicine?" Nodoka asked.

"I don't practice Nodoka, I'm very good at it." Tofu reached into the bag again and pulled out a bottle of Tennessee whiskey and some shot glasses.

"You brought Bourbon, Ono?" Soun enquired. "This must be a special occasion."

"Let's just say I'm very happy to be home in Nerima, Mr. Tendo," the Doc replied.

"I'm sure. So how long will you be home this time?" Soun asked.

"Actually, I think I'm done traveling about the country now. I was forced to tend to some family business for a while, but it seems to have settled down." Tofu answered. Happosai's eyebrows shot up as he heard the reply, but he said nothing as he poured himself a shot.

"So does that mean you'll be settling down now as well?" Nodoka asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

"Yes. The clinic needs some updating and I've been in discussions with Nerima General about merging with their own expansion plans," Tofu commented, derailing her efforts again. "They've been talking about off-loading some outpatient operations for a while now, and I've built a good rapport with them over the years."

Soun's face darkened a little. "It's about time Nerima General realized it's not the center of the universe," he said as he poured himself a shot.

"Hear, hear," Tofu agreed raising a shot glass to Soun's comment and then downed it with a swallow. Soun followed his example.

"What is that, Doc?" Ranma asked.

"It's a very potent alcohol the Americans make. I've developed a taste for it over the years, but I'm very careful to only have a glass or two in a night and no more." He placed a little more in the glass. "If no one objects, dip your finger in it and have a small taste." Tofu waited a heartbeat for Genma or Nodoka to say something, and then extend the glass to Ranma. Ranma did as he was told, and put the acquired drop in his mouth. He promptly made a very sour face.

"May I try?" Akane asked. Tofu's eyes flashed to Soun, who nodded his head slightly. Tofu then extended the glass to Akane. She dipped her finger in the glass as Ranma had done and moved the finger to her mouth. Once she tasted it, she began coughing and reached for her water glass.

"You actually drink that stuff?" Ranma exclaimed with a shudder.

"As I said, it's an acquired taste." Tofu commented.

Akane set her water glass down. "I'll skip acquiring it," she coughed.

"Mission accomplished," Soun said softly with a grin at Tofu. Tofu just winked.

Nodoka tried again, leading off with a more innocuous question, "So how long have you been in Nerima, Tofu?"

"It's been quite a bit now. I guess I'm a fixture in Nerima now," he admitted. "Or at least enough that people actually notice when I'm here or not here."

"Yes, I understand there was a near riot at the clinic this morning." Genma added, ignoring the dirty look from his wife. "Next time you should try arriving during the dead of night. It might be the only way you can get in the door of your own clinic." When her look became questioning, Genma added, "Ono is an expert in many of the ancient medical arts, as well as the modern."

"Indeed, some people consider him to be the local witch doctor," Soun threw in, causing Ono to wince internally. "He has a knack for alleviating pain, including the pain from some cancer treatments without interfering with the treatments themselves. As soon as the rumor started that he was back in town, people began lining up at the clinic."

"It was an active morning," Tofu confessed.

"He's also one of the few people in the city that can understand half the scrolls in my library," Happosai threw in, just to stir the waters. "And he's a martial artist of some modest ability." He grinned at Tofu's black look.

"I see," Nodoka almost purred at Tofu. "And yet, a man of your stature in the community is not married. How is that so?"

Tofu recognized Nodoka's game of 'Match the Single Man Up.' She was too much of an unknown quantity to play with – he considered that it might be time for 'Duck and Dodge'. He had to be careful though. If Kasumi should come back in the middle of the dodge, she might be offended. He kept an eye on the stairs. "As I mentioned, I've been traveling quite a bit. Until now, I've had no time for a wife or a family. A man should know where he stands before he considers looking for commitments."

"But you just admitted that you have stopped traveling. So, maybe you should be looking now."

"My, she is persistent," Tofu thought. He drank from his water glass while he re-ran the conversation and considered the next move. Another thought struck him: "Wait. She knew I was unmarried before I said anything. She already knows something about me." He studied the audience. Genma looked confused. Ranma was paying polite attention, Happosai was keeping score between the two players, and Akane was taking notes on the players' techniques. Soun looked a little pale though. Based on Genma and Soun's reaction, Tofu figured that Nodoka had no sisters, daughters, or nieces she was trying to match up. That meant the Nodoka's targets were Nabiki or Kasumi. Scratch Nabiki – no one could be that clueless about the middle Tendo daughter. Tofu figured that he might have a possible ally if he played this right.

"Well, if the right woman came along, I'd consider the possibilities," he admitted.

Nodoka looked like a cat with a canary. "Well, it seems to me that someone I know has three unwed daughters, and only one is committed. Maybe one of the other two would be suitable, although one is just about to start college. Isn't that right, Soun?"

Soun was now white. Genma had decided to shut up – he was in a no win situation caught between his wife and his best friend. Ranma had politely excused himself to re-fill the water pitcher. Normally, Ranma felt he was a decent actor, but he didn't think he could hold it together this time before the laughter overtook him. Akane and Happosai, for once in agreement, wore expressions of exaggerated innocence. Tofu maintained a slightly amused look on his face, as if he hadn't quite figured out who Nodoka was indicating. In reality, Tofu was suppressing manic glee – Kasumi had just started to come into view as she quietly descended the stairs with Nabiki.

Soun's voice stumbled out, "Well, you have to understand, Nodoka. Doctor Ono has been the family physician for years. I'm sure that none of the girls would feel that it was appropriate to be engaged to him."

"Oh, I don't know, Dad," Akane chimed in. "If he was our GYN, that would strike us as a little creepy, but Dr. Tofu has always appropriate with us. While the conversations were frank, they were never that embarrassing." She fluttered her eyes at Tofu. "I'll admit to having a crush upon the Doctor once upon a time." Tofu winked at her as Soun began to sputter. Akane went on, "I do think that Nabiki has her plans set in stone, but Kasumi may be open to the idea of an arranged marriage with Doctor Ono. I don't think she has made any long term plans yet, but it may be time for her to consider her options."

In the kitchen, Ranma was on the floor holding his stomach in silent laughter. Once Akane had started her little speech, he was so happy he left. He crawled over to the counter and began to look for necessary supplies. He had a feeling this was going to get better and he wanted to be ready.

Tofu pretended to considered. "I must admit Mr. Tendo, your daughter Kasumi is an absolutely charming young woman. If you were to present me to her as a possible suitor, she might view the proposal favorably. Granted, she might still view me as the teacher I once was to her, but that was when she was in high school. She has been an adult by all legal definitions for some time now and her responsibilities have been heavy. She may see me in a different light now." On the stairs, Kasumi and Nabiki had stopped upon hearing the conversation. Nodoka could see them, but Soun and Genma had their backs to the girls and could not see them. Both of the young women were wide eyed at the topic.

"But you're old enough to be her father!" Soun burst out.

Again, Tofu looked thoughtful. "Perhaps, but she only has one father, and I doubt she sees me in such a light. It's not a May-December romance – I'm not that old." In his thoughts, he gleefully finished "Actually, I'm a century and half, so the truth is far, far worse." Out loud, he continued, "I am in very good health and come from a very long lived family. It's an equal chance as far as who would out live who." Tofu resisted the urge to slap Happosai. Fortunately, no one else noticed that the little man had rolled himself into a ball and was holding his own gut shaking slightly.

Soun began to get panicky. "But you have to understand that I have no dowry to offer for Kasumi." Kasumi's eyes narrowed on her father.

Tofu looked over at Soun. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm not sure people worry about that anymore, but I may be out-of-touch. Besides, such a lovely woman is a prize all in herself. If money is a concern, I'd be happy to pay for the wedding and any such expenses, provided Kasumi agrees to the arrangement of course." He added the last part quickly, feeling Kasumi's eyes switch to him. While he was having fun at Soun's expense, he was not going to tick off his fiancée. "My family is quite well off."

Genma perked up at this. "Well Tendo, maybe you should consider this carefully. Expenses have a way of piling up at weddings."

Soun rounded on Genma. "Are you insane? Offering a dowry is one thing, but I am not selling one of my daughters!" He turned to Tofu. "You're not fooling me. You've had an insane crush on my daughter since she was 18."

"Oh," Tofu answered. "You mean the tic thing followed by the temporary insanity? That's wasn't a crush, that was something similar to post traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, Kasumi became a trigger due to an unusual set of circumstances centered about a trip I made to China three years ago. She caught me at a bad time in my treatment which I was undergoing due to events that happened during the trip. That was one of the things we talked about before coming here. I'm finally cured and I felt I owed her an explanation for my irrational behavior. That's another reason I felt like celebrating this evening. Happily, she's forgiven me for my foolishness. Since she doesn't hold grudges, I don't think it would be a factor in an arranged marriage." Kasumi had a slightly disbelieving expression on her face, but Tofu felt he was on safe ground. Soun was about to go over the cliff though…

"B-b-But my daughter is not suitable for marriage," Soun stuttered. "She's a simple girl who has been sheltered her whole life and needs to remain so. While she can maintain a house and is a decent cook, Kasumi has never shown much aptitude in school, and may be a bit feebleminded. For that matter, she's never dated or even expressed an interest in boys either." Soun's eyes were wild now. "In fact, boys have seemed to shy away from her, maybe because they understand her interests lie elsewhere." Everyone in the room (and the kitchen) went absolutely still in shock as Soun continued. "So you see, Doctor, placing Kasumi in an arranged marriage would cause a loss of honor for both parties."

Tofu's eyes went wide and then narrowed. "Loss of honor? Game over," he thought. "If this cowardly little man who spends his time hiding from life is going to speak ill of Kasumi, he can do it around a mouth full of broken teeth – father or no father." Akane and Nabiki weren't far behind in their thoughts. Ranma was a little further behind, but only because his system was still shedding massive amounts of disbelief that Soun had said that about his own daughter. Genma's system was wallowing completely in disbelief though. Nodoka was suffering from extreme guilt – had she not actually believed that herself as recently as this morning?

Kasumi had pressed her lips together tightly. This wasn't the first time her father had tried to scare away a potential suitor. She had heard the "feebleminded" crack before and dismissed it as due to strain on her father's part. But he had never gone so far in implying her unsuitability in quite this manner before. However, she wasn't inclined to put up with it any longer. She had promised her mother (and herself for that matter) that she would live her life, and now struck her as the perfect time. Her eyes flew to Tofu's and read 'murderous intent.' "Oh no, no, dear one," she thought. "While it's nice to know you care, there are better ways. You're a Kitsune – I'm sure you'll keep up."

Kasumi started by clearing her throat, startling everyone in the room. She then addressed the gathering. "Well, that was a very interesting discussion. I must admit I'm flattered by the good doctor's interest, but I see I haven't been quite as thorough as I thought in hiding my secrets. I guess I should have realized it this morning when I talked to Nodoka."

Soun stared at his daughter, his eyes growing even wilder. "K-K-Kasumi…" he stuttered. "Realized what?"

"Oh my. That if Nodoka could figure things out with the short amount of time she has been with us, then the rest of you could as well."

Nodoka looked at Kasumi. "I'm sorry? What have I figured out?"

"Oh, it's all right, Nodoka," Kasumi responded. "I only hid things for Father's sake. Apparently he knows. Remember what you said to me? You told me that I haven't hidden it all that well. You went on to say that in all the time you've known me, I've never once looked at a man. And when a man does approach me, it's obvious that that I am pretending not to understand him."

Tofu relaxed his fists as he watched Kasumi for clues. She had clasped her hands so that her ring was visible to him. Ranma materialized on to the floor next to Akane, as if by magic. He held three bowls of popcorn. He passed one to Akane and another to Nabiki, who had like-wised materialized next to Happosai, and held the last bowl for himself. Genma still looked stunned. Nodoka eyes sharpened as she reviewed her blunder this morning to which Kasumi was referring.

Nodoka then replayed the current conversation and realized where Kasumi was heading. "I owe her," Nodoka thought. "I'm in." Out loud, Nodoka sighed. "Yes, Kasumi. I did warn you that you were being too obvious. Meeting that woman in the park like that."

"What woman?" Soun asked.

"A very special friend of Kasumi's. I forgot her name, but she is a stocky woman with short black hair." Nodoka answered. She move moved her hand an appropriate height above the floor. "She stands about so high and is usually dressed in a gray gi." Recognition dawned in the eyes of the teenagers. Tofu's eyes widened as well.

"It's Shizuka, Auntie." Kasumi supplied.

"Oh, that's right." Nodoka turned to Soun. "If it's any consolation, Soun, she's a very handsome woman."

"I-I'm s-sorry-ry?" Soun's eyes now looked like full moons.

Kasumi reviewed the room. Genma has changed into a panda and was playing with a beach ball. Tofu looked at Kasumi with his hand covering his mouth. He was striving to look disappointed, but she could see amusement in his eyes. Happosai had taken some popcorn out of Nabiki's bowl. Nabiki seemed to be making counting gestures to Ranma and Akane – it looked like she was trying to goad them into betting about something without interrupting the show. Kasumi decided it was time for the kill.

"Well Father, Nodoka had discovered my preferences, but she also figured out that I wanted to have children. So, she had a few suggestions she wanted to discuss with me."

Soun's waterworks factory kicked in. "WAHHH! My daughter is a lesbian!"

"Oh Father!" Kasumi scolded. "It's all right. Nodoka's suggestion was very practical. After all, Nerima General has an artificial insemination program that's helped lots of couples. And once I ask around the town, I'm sure I can gather some volunteers."

"WAHHH!"

"Oh, bothering with Nerima General won't be necessary Kasumi," Tofu cut in. "You are a healthy woman. I'm sure I can handle the procedure at my clinic using one of the less complicated methods. Just think, Mr. Tendo – you could have an heir without the messiness of a wedding within the year."

"WAHHH!"

"Oh my. That's a definite thought, Doctor Tofu. The dojo is in my name. With Akane's and Ranma's help, I could start classes this summer. It would give me a source of income."

"Hey, we'd love to help," Akane chimed in. Ranma nodded. "Ranma could help Kasumi teach, and I could take over the cooking and cleaning."

"WAHH!"

"You know," Kasumi added thoughtfully. "There may be a market for a dojo catering to alternative lifestyles. We could make the Tendo dojo famous though out Japan."

WHAM!

Silence reigned in the room, at least until Ranma called out "Hah! Pay up Nabiki! He didn't make it five cries."

Nabiki just buffed her nails on her shirt. "I'll deduct it from your tab, Saotome."

Kasumi looked over at her father passed out on the floor. "That went better that I hoped it would. When he wakes up, he'll be relieved to know the truth. In the meantime, we should eat. This sushi is very good, but it won't keep forever."

Nodoka stopped her. "Oh no you don't, Miss Tendo. We played your game, now we want to collect our reward. What's this announcement? It's not that the good Doctor is back – the whole town knows that. So what is it?" Akane nodded her agreement.

Kasumi looked at Tofu, who grinned and slid over to her. He put an arm around her shoulder and faced the group with Kasumi. Kasumi let a slight smile show on her face and held up her hand, displaying the engagement ring.

"YES!" Akane shouted, jumping up and running to hug them both.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" Nodoka grinned like a mad woman and moved over to kiss both of them on the cheek.

Ranma and Nabiki exchanged small grins and then also stood to congratulate the couple. Happosai stopped raiding the sushi long enough to pour a cup of tea and throw it at the panda. "Hey moron!" he yelled. "Come over here and congratulate your niece!"

Dinner proceeded as expected after that. The food was very good and the conversation was kept light. They moved Soun over to the couch with an ice pack on his head and placed some food into the fridge for him. Nabiki excused herself briefly to make a few phone calls and notify some betting pools of the engagement. Genma proceeded to get drunk (much to his wife's displeasure) so as to avoid talking with Soun later that evening. Happosai had his fill of food and then put a good dent in the whiskey bottle before retiring for the night. The newly engaged couple sat very close together during the meal, but Kasumi eventually ended up sitting in Tofu's lap by the end of the night. This in turn inspired Akane to try and get Ranma (a.k.a. Captain Oblivious) to pay attention to how a normal couple behaves. She was pleasantly surprised to be rewarded by some hand-holding, only light teasing, some very pleasant words, and a *very* decent hug that she happily took to her dreams. Ranma and Tofu carried Soun up and put him in his room. Ranma then said his "Good Night" and retired to the attic where he had been sleeping since the weather warmed up, giving his parents some privacy.

Soon it was just Kasumi and Tofu standing outside the front door. "I expect you back here before breakfast tomorrow to talk to Father," she told him. "You're not leaving me to suffer alone."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he promised.

"Good. Do you plan on telling Father your heritage?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. It's probably going to be necessary. If nothing else, he needs to understand something about how I've been aging and that I'm able to share my life with you as equals," he answered.

"All right. I expect to see you here by 7AM. You can help me make breakfast then."

"Deal." He moved in to kiss her when she placed her finger to his lips.

"One last question…" she said.

He took her finger away and kissed her anyway. "You used up your last question long ago."

She smiled back. "Tough. How come Nodoka and Akane missed my ring when we first arrived? They were looking for it…"

His eyes sparkled with merriment. "I put a small glamour on the ring. Only those you want to know can see the ring, but once you break it for a person, the glamour stays broken."

"Oh my. It is a real ring though, isn't it?"

"Of course it is. I paid real cash for it after you left Nagoya. I have no intention of cheating on this courtship. I told you, I never cheat on anything (or anyone) important."

"Good." The kiss was much longer this time.

With a smile, another kiss, and a "Good night," Tofu turned from his fiancée and leapt from the doorstep to the top of the property wall. With the same smile, he leapt off into the night.


	9. The Morning After

Chapter 9: The Morning After

Soun woke up early the next morning. "Ugh, what a hideous dream!" he thought to himself. "My daughter was gay and was about to turn the Tendo dojo into a franchise for alternative lifestyles." He stumbled to the mirror and noticed that he was still in yesterday's clothes. "Oh crap. What happened last night? Did Genma and I go out drinking again?" He tried to remember yesterday evening, but all that came to him was the dream that kept replaying all last night. He decided to get cleaned up and find Genma – he should be up fighting with Ranma by now. Maybe Genma could fill in the blanks. On his way to the bathroom, he glanced down the hall. Kasumi's and Akane's doors were open, but Nabiki's was closed. Nothing unusual there. While he was in the bathroom, he heard a knock at the front door, and the door open, but no greeting or announcement. Now, *that* was unusual.

He finished getting cleaned up and left the bathroom, stopping to listen to the house. Sure enough, he could hear Genma and Ranma in the backyard pounding on each other. Honestly, Genma was a glutton for punishment. His son had eclipsed him totally. Still, it was better than having Happosai and Ranma go at it – things got broken then (like houses and local shops). It seemed that the Master was still Ranma's better whether the boy admitted it or not, but sometimes, Soun wasn't quite so sure. Something happened to Ranma during the last trip to China (or was it the wedding attempt?), but no one was talking about it – not Ranma, Akane, or Genma. Something had snapped ('broken' wasn't the right word) inside Ranma. The boy was more implacable in battle than ever, and he seemed more willing to reach deep inside himself for power. To be honest, his Chi blasts were becoming forces of nature, sweeping away any other Chi offenses, defenses, or illusions. Soun wasn't sure it was healthy. He also didn't like the fact that Ranma was becoming extremely protective of Akane.

That last thought stopped him as he was reaching into his closet for clean clothes. Didn't he want Ranma to be protective of his little girl? Weren't they supposed to be getting married? Well yes, but she was his little girl. Soun felt that he should always be Akane's protector. But that didn't ring true either. Like it or not, Akane had eclipsed *him*. His skills were not as sharp as they use to be while she had been forced to use hers on a daily basis, first against unwanted suitors at school, and then against Ranma's other fiancées – never mind the adventures she seemed to end up participating in. If he was her protector, then where was he when she was threatened? It was Ranma who ran to her rescue (if needed), reluctantly at first, and then with more and more motivation. Soun wasn't even in the picture anymore.

Soun got dressed and walked down the hallway. He stopped outside of the closed door. He could hear Nabiki's light snoring if he strained his hearing. Nabiki – his rebel daughter who had her mother's eyes. The eyes that cut straight to his soul. The eyes which were leaving for good very shortly. Soun had no delusions here – Nabiki was scrambling for the exit. The world awaited and she was in a hurry. Soun had convinced himself that he would look forward to the peace and quiet when she was gone, but that was a lie. Kimiko's spirit burned in Nabiki, and his wife had been anything but boring. He actually enjoyed the chaos Nabiki brought with her because it reminded him so much of his late wife's mischievousness.

Soun started down the stairs and wondered. Akane had her mother's looks and temper, and Nabiki had the eyes and mischievousness. What did Kasumi have? As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the answer spoke to him, literally, from the kitchen; Kasumi was singing a song. It was something she did often when she was alone. Soun walked quietly over to a chair and sat down. This was a morning ritual his eldest knew nothing about. She sang with her heart pouring out her voice, and he listened. The songs changed constantly. Some mornings it was traditional Japanese music, sometimes opera, sometimes pop music, and sometimes Western pop. Kasumi had a great range to her voice, a gift she got from Kimiko. She finished the folk piece she was singing and Soun heard her clap to herself, something she sometimes did. He had often caught her giving a bow to an imaginary audience.

Promise delayed - that should have been Kasumi name. Great shame filled him as the dream from last night returned. In his dream, he had called his daughter feebleminded, something he had used in reality to try and scare off the egg-man. The truth was that his eldest daughter had more brains than her two sisters combined, not that they were slouches either. She could master any text and language when she was a school, and it was impossible to lie to her – she could see through a stone wall. But there had been no money to send Kasumi to college (his fault), so Soun had downplayed her abilities. He had emphasized her domestic skills – the ones that kept him fed, clean, and well. "What a good wife you will be!" he had exclaimed again and again. But that was a lie too. She had no chance of becoming a wife – he had kept her close, never allowing her to meet the man of her dreams. "Needed protection from the world" he had said in his dream. The truth was she needed protection from him and his controlling ways.

He supposed it wasn't too late though. She was only 21 years old. He could actually be a father for once. Nabiki was tearing free, and Ranma was sweeping Akane away on the wings of the storm, but he could actually set Kasumi free. She had done everything for this family. Didn't she deserve something from life other than taking care of a sad, old man? Maybe it was time?…No, it was past time he admitted.

He sighed to himself though. This wasn't a new set of thoughts. He had been here before. The problem was that he didn't know how to proceed from here. "Hello Kasumi. Thanks for all your good work. Now get out" just didn't seem to be an answer. Encouraging her to go to college was not an answer either. That required funds. Nabiki had taken steps and procured scholarships and funds on her own time. Kasumi never had that time. Soun no longer knew how to make money really – that had been Kimiko's department.

Kasumi started to sing again and Soun listened in his funk. It was a song from an American movie. What was the movie's title? Oh yes, An Officer and a Gentleman. The song was called "Up Where We Belong". ***

"_Who knows what tomorrow brings, in a world few hearts survive?"_

It was delivered flawlessly. "She should have someone to answer that," Soun thought gloomy. Suddenly, he got his wish. A strong male tenor sung out from the kitchen answering her:

"_All I know is the way I feel; when it's real I keep it alive."_

Kasumi sang again:

"_The road is long; there are mountains in our way"_

And the tenor answered:

"_But we climb a step every day."_

Together they sang:

"_Love lifts us up where we belong; where the eagles cry on a mountain high."_

"_Love lifts us up where we belong; Far from the world below; up where the clear winds blow."_

Soun's brain froze, and his mouth dropped open. Who the hell was in the kitchen with Kasumi? Genma couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Ranma's female form could sing very well, but his male form was as bad as his father. Silently he got up and peaked through the doorway. He saw his daughter preparing breakfast. Chopping fruit quietly next to her was a young man in rugged jeans and wearing a corduroy button-down shirt. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His long brown hair was pulled back into a pony tail and the face was very familiar. Neither paid Soun any attention as they continued to sing their love duet. Soun listened as he tried to place that face. The tenor led off the next verse:

"_Some hang on to, 'used to be'; live their lives looking behind."_

Now Kasumi took the answering phrase:

"_All we have is here and now; all our life out there to find."_

The tenor sang (where had Soun seen him before?):

"_The road is long; there are mountains in our way"_

Again Kasumi took the answer:

"_But we climb a step every day"_

Once more together:

"_Love lifts us up where we belong; where the eagles cry on a mountain high."_

"_Love lifts us up where we belong; far from the world we know; where the clear wind blow."_

Soun finally placed the face as the man started to sing by himself again. "No! By all the Kami – that's Tofu without glasses, looking as he did 15 years ago!" his thoughts screamed at him. Tofu started again:

"_Time goes by, no time to cry"_

Kasumi sang to Tofu:

"_Life's you and I, a life today"_

Together, the couple continued:

"_Love lifts us up where we belong; where the eagles cry on a mountain high."_

"_Love lifts us up where we belong; far from the world we know; where the clear winds blow."_

Kasumi and Tofu looked at each other, completely ignoring their surroundings.

"_Love lifts us up where we belong; where the eagles cry on a mountain high."_

"_Love lifts us up where we belong."_

They embraced as they finished the song. Kasumi faced her father, but her eyes were closed. Tofu rested his cheek on the top of Kasumi's head looking away from Soun. Both were obviously lost in the other.

Soun had no idea what to do. His last child, the eldest, had indeed escaped him and she had done it by finding love, despite her father. Crying would have been appropriate it, but somehow, his heart wasn't in it. His heart was actually content for once. And with that contentment, an idea did occur to him: there was actually a clear path – he could actually be this girl's father by shutting his mouth, keeping his tears to himself, and letting her go.

With that thought, his mind had finally thrown off its cobwebs. The nightmare which had repeated all night returned to its first iteration. Soun saw with deep shame that it wasn't a dream. He had publically offended and humiliated his daughter, so much so that his extended family had participated in his punishment. But, the punishment wasn't enough, so he silently dropped to one knee, closed his eyes, bowed his head, and waited.

After a few minutes, Kasumi called out "Father, I believe you have something to say to me."

Soun opened his eyes again. Kasumi and Tofu had not moved, nor broken their embrace, but were both watching him. Soun began speaking very formally: "I have much to say, Daughter, but it's all the same. I'm sorry. I have repeatedly let you down. I have belittled you and handicapped any dreams from forming. I have hindered your childhood, to the point that it stopped long ago. You were forced to be the acting adult, but I have never given you any credit or honest praise – only praise that would keep you bound to me. I sought to capture that piece of your mother's spirit that I saw in you and your sisters and hold it forever. I failed to provide for you and your sisters, often leaving you to fend for yourselves. When I did provide for you, it was grudgingly, much in the manner of a spoiled brat. I let grief, something I should have set aside years ago, be my excuse for living. I took a decade from your life, and those of your sisters and squandered it. I have no excuse. Indeed, there can be none for such selfishness, but I am sorry. All I can say is that I will make every effort to redeem myself."

Kasumi considered her father down on one knee, and then spoke formally as well: "If you want my forgiveness Father, you will do the following: First, you will talk to your friends on the city council and get a real job. It has been so long since you actually taught that you are no longer fit to teach martial arts anymore, so you must allow your children to do so. However, Akane must go to college, so you will gather the funds to send her. You will also aid Nabiki as much as possible. Second, it's time to take Mother's shrine and move it to a less prominent place. She does not approve of you squandering your life in the past. It's time to move on – a decade of grief is enough. Third, you will agree that Akane will not marry until she is an adult, and it will be *her* decision, not yours. I will not ask you to void the agreement with the Saotomes, and you may support it still, but you will not force it on Akane or Ranma – if they void it, so be it. Nor will you support any effort by Genma or Nodoka to force the agreement either. Fourth, this coming New Year's Day, I will wed Doctor Tofu Ono. You will give me to him at the wedding ceremony. Do you accept these conditions, Father?"

For once in his life, Soun didn't hesitate: "I do, my daughter."

Kasumi smiled at her father: "Then come greet your future son-in-law."

Soun rose and approached Tofu with his hand extended. Tofu smiled and accepted the handshake, while his other arm was about Kasumi. Soun addressed Tofu: "For once, let me be Kasumi's father. Who are you?"

Tofu answered formally, "I am as you see me. I am Doctor Tofu Kitsune Ono."

"Kitsune? Are you an immortal?"

"I am part Kitsune. As such, I was an immortal for a limited time. That time is up. I age one day at a time now, just like my wife-to-be. I still retain my powers though, so don't be too surprised if my apparent age changes. It's easier to be a doctor if I look the part."

Soun relaxed a little. "I'll admit you are a Healer, but are you really a Doctor?"

Tofu grinned at him. "Actually, I've been through medical school twice. The last time, I finished in 1982. I completed my residency two years later. I value the modern arts as well as the ancient."

"So the papers you presented to Nerima General were true? Soun asked.

"Pretty much, but don't be surprised if the records slip a decade or so in the future. My immortality ended recently, so I'll need to make a few adjustments later in life for everything to match my apparent age."

"If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?"

"I am 155 years old. My aging paused in my mid-twenties, so I'm picking up from there now."

Soun noted that Kasumi was not at all surprised. "You knew?" he asked her.

"Of course, Father. I've known for the last three years. Ever since the accident that caused Tofu's tics," she answered.

Soun addressed Tofu again: "So, what you said last night about the post traumatic stress was true?"

"More or less. There was a small amount of fudging there, but not lots. Kasumi's presence did cause them, but I admit I played things up a bit. She and I had worked out a way around the issue a while back. It was only occasionally that things got out of control. Rather than have people start asking questions that might lead them to my heritage, I developed the 'hopeless crush' angle to distract them." He grinned at Kasumi. "Besides, the antics tweaked my dear fiancée's nose just a little."

Kasumi had a very placid expression on her face. "That's all right, my dear fiancé. I have a lifetime to get even."

One of Tofu's eyebrows shot up. "Speaking of which, I noticed Betty the skeleton was not at the clinic anymore?"

Kasumi pretended to brush a bit of lint off her shirt. "I boiled her down for soup stock."

"Really? You do know she was plastic?"

"Ranma and Genma will eat anything I cook," she continued peacefully. Tofu just nodded his understanding.

Soun had to suppress a chuckle at the exchange. "Oh, they will do just fine," he thought. Out loud he said, "I have so many more questions, I don't know where to start. I feel like I missed so many things happening right under my nose."

Kasumi looked at Soun with just a hint of frustration in her eyes. "You did, Father. Ever since Ranma and the rest of the Jusenkyo crew ran off to China, you really have been missing the big picture. You haven't asked the right questions about Akane's kidnapping, the fight at Jusendo, why Akane really agreed to the wedding, Happosai destroying the Nanniichuan water, or Ranma's overall possessiveness of Akane."

"Wait," Soun cut in. "Happosai destroyed the barrel of Nanniichuan water on purpose? Didn't he think it was sake?"

"No, Father. He knew exactly what it was. Although to be fair, I only figured that out last night after Tofu had given me the final clue."

"Umm, if you don't mind me asking, Kasumi," Tofu cut in. "What was the clue? And what happened at Jusendo?"

She looked at Tofu. "Later, love. I have a feeling there's going to be a lot of filling in to do, all the way around." She turned back to her father and continued, "You also used Ryoga to try and make Ranma jealous without considering the implications – and if Akane figures out that you knew Ryoga's one of the Jusenkyo crowd, you're a dead man."

Soun turned white. "You know?"

"And so does she now. There was a big blow up at the Unryu farm three weeks ago. That was some of the fallout. There was actually a lot of fallout from that." (A/N: Remind me to fill the audience in on that later).

Kasumi continued, "You also failed to ask why I collapsed five weeks ago, or my sudden interest in going to Temple since then." Tofu looked at her in concern. "Or why Ranma suddenly began teaching Akane seriously in the dojo. And why he has been teaching me as well. Do you know that Nabiki is suddenly carrying balanced clubs, flash bombs, and smoke bombs? Do you know I've taken up the bo staff?"

Soun shook his head mournfully. "You're right, Kasumi. I noticed some of those things, but never questioned them." He straightened up and thought about the last few weeks. "Damn. The four of you have been patrolling the house at night, haven't you?"

Kasumi let her exasperation out with a sigh. "Oh my. Even my father can be taught." Soun winced at that.

* * *

A couple more chapters to go. Next up: "Deception and Truth"

***By the way, credit where credit is due (both morally and legally):

The song "Up Where We Belong" was written by Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Will Jennings. The copyright ( 1982) belongs to the authors and their designatees, which at last count includes Island Records (now held by Universal Music Group, LLC) and Sony/ATV Music Publishing (I don't pretend to understand the music business).

The most popular version of this song was song by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.

The lyrics are reproduced here without expressed permission and for non-commercial purposes only. If I ever accidently earn money with this chapter, I guess I'll have to talk to UMG and Sony – right after Ms. Takahashi and VIZ Communications get through with me (***please*** don't sue).


	10. Truth and Deception

Chapter 10: Deception and Truth

"O.K., let me insert myself into the conversation a little bit more firmly," Tofu stated. "Who attacked you five weeks ago?"

"At least someone can keep up," Kasumi thought quietly. To Tofu, she said, "A woman named Henna."

"The Amazon attacked you?" Anger was flaring up in his eyes. "Why?"

"You know her?"

"I know *of* her." His voice was continuing to rise. "Kasumi, why didn't you tell me this?"

"Because you had your own issues. Things were bad at Ryugenzawa, weren't they? I could hear the stress in your voice every time we talked." Kasumi shot back.

Tofu backed down. "Yes, things were bad."

Kasumi, sensing an opening, pursued it. "What happened to Omata no Yarochi? That wasn't who you were fighting was it?"

"How did you know?"

Kasumi answered "I quizzed Akane and Ranma about their adventure in Ryugenzawa. They finally broke down and told me the entire story. I developed a pretty good impression of Omata no Yarochi. It's not something I would ever want to face, but you had twelve men there. One of them was Taro." At his puzzled expression, Kasumi answered: "Chie brought over the message tape you left after the turning point. I had Nabiki and some of her friends analyze the tape for me." She continued: "If you were one of the twelve, and Taro was another, I can safely assume that the other ten were of similar caliber?"

"Better actually," he supplied.

"Then between the twelve and Shinnosuke's whistle, you should have been able to take Omata no Yarochi, gag the eight heads, and tie him up without much effort." Soun's eyes were going wide at this point.

"The whistle doesn't work well under water and we're getting away from the point – why did Henna attack you?"

"I'll answer if you answer."

"Fine. Omata no Yarochi was killed by the original Ryugenzawa team before you and I met in Nagoya, although "murdered" is probably a more accurate word. I was not the team leader then. There were only four of us. Our job was to tap into the spring that fed the cave Omata no Yarochi lived in. Omata no Yarochi was the guardian of the spring. First we had to find it – that was my job. For the most part, the dragon would ignore me if I changed my shape to something other than human. Every now and then, especially as I got closer to the spring, he would take exception to me and run me off. It was no big deal, but the team leader (a man named Kohaku) would grouse at the delays. He and the two others were there to tap into the spring once I determined a safe location. As far as I know, he was being paid by the day, so I don't know what his hurry was."

"One day, I got a little careless, and Omata no Yarochi managed to scorch my fur pretty badly. I announced that I was taking a few days off to heal and get my bearings again. Kohaku took exception to this and came after me. I wasn't in the mood for diplomacy, so I fried his ass. Apparently, he took my actions as insubordination and ran to the Council with tales, who basically told him to leave me alone, leave the situation alone, and join me in a few days off. I stayed with Shinnosuke and his grandfather while I healed. Unfortunately, Kohaku took this as a challenge to his manhood. He ordered his two teammates to lure Omata no Yarochi out of lair. The three of them promptly drugged the stupid dragon with ale and slaughtered him."

Tofu stopped and shuddered. "You have to understand two things. First is that drinking from the spring basically gives you the ability to avoid death once, sort of like a 'get-out-of-jail' free card. After that, you could use the spring to maintain your life if you happen to be unlucky enough to need a second death-dodge, but you would be tied to the spring, as had been the case with Shinnosuke. The second thing to remember is that the dragon was a manifestation of the spring – the dragon was actually *part* of the spring. When the spring felt his death, it reacted, and made sure everything nearby felt the reaction as well. I felt it, Shinnosuke felt it, Shinnosuke's grandfather felt it, and so did every animal who ever drank from the spring."

"What did you do?" Soun asked.

"We all got the hell out of there. The spring revoked Omata no Yarochi's death and then increased the serpent's power. I could *feel* the energy crackle through the area to that corpse and I could feel the changes. The heads were now all on one end, it grew to twice the size it had been, and developed a proper tail – actually eight of them."

"Oh my. That's just like Yamata no Yarochi from the tale of Susanoo." Kasumi interrupted

"Kasumi, for all practical purposes, it became Yamata no Yarochi, It also became twice as smart as Omata no Yarochi. The resurrected dragon promptly killed Kohaku and the other two and then waited for the spring to revoke their deaths. It then mortally wounded them and splashed them with the spring's water, tying them to the spring. Every morning they would have to get a drink from the spring, and Yamata no Yarochi would be waiting for them. It would beat them within an inch of their half-lives before allowing a drink. The three could no longer touch the dragon – they felt any pain inflicted on the monster. Finally, on the eighth day after Omata no Yarochi died, the dragon killed them and burned their bodies. No resurrection possible."

"So what happened next?" Kasumi asked.

"Oh no. I answered the question. It's your turn now. Why did Henna attack you?"

She sighed. "All right, but I'm going to get the rest of the story out of you yet." Tofu said nothing, so Kasumi continued. "Attacked is the wrong word – kidnapped is more accurate." Soun went white again, but Tofu made gesture to continue, so she did. "She was trying to break my spirit and drive me away from Nerima after draining me. I was taken to a dead world and shown a vision of the Saotome family committing seppuku. Henna tried to pass herself off as Fate. The plan was to show me different paths all leading to the same ending and build it up as inevitable. She thought I would despair, and then she could drain me."

"Why were the Saotomes committing seppuku in the vision?" Soun asked.

"Because they believed they were responsible for the death of Akane and the destruction of our family, Father. In the vision, you were Nodoka's second after Genma and Ranma were dead." Soun started at that.

"Were they responsible?" Tofu asked.

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Kasumi answered. "The visions were not true visions, so the question really has no meaning."

"Fair enough I suppose, but why do you call it a kidnapping? It sounds more like she invaded your dreams." Tofu questioned. Soun brightened at this line of inquiry – surely his eldest daughter could not have been kidnapped!

Kasumi held up her hands, palm up. "Tofu, take a good look at my hands."

He held her hands in his and looked. "I don't see anything wrong."

"Keep looking," she requested.

He looked harder, and then invoked his mage sight. Something was slightly off with Kasumi's left hand. Some of the nerves and blood vessels seemed to be slightly twisted – nothing too serious, but unusual anyway. He compared the two hands and something began to seep into his awareness. He shut off his mage sight and held her hands up to the light. "No," he said. "No, that's not possible."

"What's not possible?" Soun asked, the sinking feeling returning.

"Her left and right hands are mirror images of each other," Tofu replied. Kasumi said nothing.

"Aren't everyone's?" Soun asked.

"No, they are not. Take a good look at your hands, Soun. Making allowances for the fact that you have a left hand and right hand, try and map the lines and fingerprints from one hand to the other, especially the fingerprints. If nothing else, compare the thumb prints. You can't do it. They look nothing like each other. The lines on your hands and the fingerprints form randomly due to environmental factors. In Kasumi's case, that's not true. Each fingerprint has a mirror image on the other hand. Normally, that's impossible." He looked directly at Kasumi. "Love, what happened to your left hand?"

"I fought against Henna and lost the hand in the fight. It was burned away. I also suffered a couple of broken ribs and broke my shoulder." Tofu touched her shoulders, and then tapped her right. She nodded and added "It was a very physical fight – not a dream."

Tofu sighed and bowed his head. "I sorry I wasn't here for you."

"It's not your fault, love. No one could have predicted the kidnapping."

"How did you escape? And who replicated your hand? That's beyond me," Tofu asked.

"I escaped with the help of three sprites Henna imprisoned. I set them free in the fight and they rewarded me by taking me away from Henna and bringing me to the Clean Chaos."

"Chaos." Tofu repeated. "That is one way to re-build your hand." He looked at her: "Overall, you look pretty good for having survived your first plane walk and dealing with sprites. You even managed to keep your soul."

"Actually, the sprites were very helpful. We did bargain, but everyone left the table satisfied."

"Or you simply charmed them."

She smiled. "It's possible."

Soun felt panic rise inside himself. Akane had been kidnapped before, but he always knew or witnessed it and sent Ranma after her. Kasumi couldn't have been swiped from the house without any warning or without his knowledge! Not sweet innocent Kasumi! It wasn't possible. "All right you two. You can stop pulling my leg now. I admitted I was wrong, and I will carry through on my promises to Kasumi. I can see Tofu got a little cosmetic work done to match a younger wife, but you can dump this magic and mysticism crap."

"Oh my. I believe Father is having his doubts. You may have to convince him a little more."

Tofu grinned. "Are you sure?" he asked. Kasumi nodded.

Soun began to reprimand them both, "Look here…."

Tofu yelled "SHAZAM"

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" Soun scrambled backwards away from Tofu. He backed into the wall and slid down it staring at his future son-in-law. Tofu had invoked his spirit form. "You really are a Kitsune!" Soun said with shock.

"Am I really that scary?" Tofu asked Kasumi.

"I think you're adorable." Her voice firmed up as she addressed her father. "All right. Tofu has to switch back to his mortal form before someone comes along. Suck it up, Father. I was kidnapped, right under your nose, and there was nothing you could do about it. I had to fight my way home, but at least I did manage to find help. By the way, on the last leg of the journey, it was Mother who brought me home. That's how I knew she was upset with you and your extending period of mourning." Soun looked even more distressed now. "It's time to grow up. Can Tofu shift back? Will you cut the garbage?" Soun just nodded his head.

Tofu shifted forms again. "You know, I still didn't get an answer to my question. Why did Henna kidnap you? If she kidnapped you, she could have killed you or disposed of you by some other means – such as just stranding you on a dead world. Granted, it might have left her open to retribution, but kidnapping does too."

"But if she kidnapped me and put me back, it would have limited many of the retribution options, even if she did break me. Also, I think she was trying to re-coup power – undoing the summons would have put a lot power back in her pocket."

"Not a bad thought for an apprentice." Kasumi stuck her tongue out at him. Tofu went on, "Which means that you put a severe drain on her resources when you broke free, and she had to burn even more power covering her tracks. O.K. so she chose to "borrow" you as opposed to the other options to save on power. But why you?"

Kasumi took his hand. "I think it was a strike at Akane – sort of a 'bank shot.' Take me out of the picture, to weaken her."

"Akane? But…" Tofu stopped as Kasumi squeezed his hand *hard*. He shut down his startle reflex. "…why?" he continued. Kasumi loosened her grip.

"I think maybe Henna is trying to deliver Ranma to Shampoo to curry favor with Shampoo. Ranma may be a political chip in a larger Amazon game. Henna and Cologne are at odds with each other. Shampoo is an up-and-coming Amazon leader. If Henna can convince Shampoo to side with her instead of her great-great-grandmother, she's severely weakened Cologne's political position."

"Why not strike at Akane directly?" Tofu asked. He received a light affirming squeeze.

"Because she's very strong, physically and spiritually. I destroyed a good deal of Henna's power – how much more would Akane have destroyed, just by accident? She's like a bull in a china shop."

Tofu closed his eyes in thought (and something else). He thought he could she where Kasumi was going, but he didn't know why. This was a performance, but it wasn't for Soun's benefit. Tofu expanded his senses as he had done on Mt. Terror and swept the house quickly. Nodoka and Nabiki were asleep. Genma was out cold in the backyard. He knew Akane went for a jog ever morning. Where was Ranma? Tofu couldn't find him anywhere. He needed more time, so he continued down the path Kasumi was leading him.

"So, distract Akane by having her hunt for you. Meanwhile Ranma now has two Amazon elders working on him, both trying to deliver him to Shampoo for their own reasons." While speaking, he thought about Ranma. If the lad had just beaten Genma, where would he go? Tofu grinned internally – The kitchen for food and water. Only this time, he would have heard part of the conversation, especially after Soun's exclamations. But Tofu, couldn't find him – could the boy really be *that* advanced?

Kasumi was speaking again. "Since the attack against me didn't work, Henna will concentrate on trying to split up Ranma and Akane, by force or by dodge."

"Just like Cologne," Tofu added. He swept the kitchen and its surroundings again with his mind, this time looking for cold or null spots instead of warm bodies. Bingo. There was a large one, just outside the door. The boy – no, the young man – *was* that advanced. He could use a little work hiding the cold spots, but it was still damn impressive. He gave Kasumi's hand three distinct squeezes. "So, what do we tell Ranma and Akane?"

Kasumi shrugged. "Nothing – they are doing what they should. They already stick close to each other and Ranma is finally training Akane. Ranma has been avoiding the Amazons as well. That's pretty much the best behavior for now. If we tell them to do it, they'll only think we are trying to force them together like everyone else in the family and we'd lose influence over them both. They both know they can trust me, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Tofu wanted one more piece of information though and didn't care if Ranma overheard it, so he asked: "Do you want them to be together?"

Kasumi shot him a questioning look and then considered, "It doesn't matter what I want, it matters want they want."

He held her hand firmly. "True, but that's not what I asked. Do you want them to be together?"

Kasumi couldn't figure where Tofu was going with this. She knew they had an audience. Finally, she decided on the truth. "When Ranma first came here, both he and Akane were hindered by their upbringing." She silenced Soun with a look. "They were 16 going on 10. Had things continued, we would be dealing with two severely damaged individuals. But dealing with each other has forced them to grow. They are now two 18 year-olds who are almost normal. Ranma still needs to work on his communication skills and learning to keep his mouth shut. Akane still has temper and trust issues. But both have come a long way together, and I don't think it would have happened had either one hooked up with anyone else. Certainly not with the loony bin of a social circle they have. They also share the same spirit. Each is the other's salvation, so, 'Yes', I'd like to see them together. I think that's how they will be happiest in the long run. But again, it doesn't matter what I want or believe – it is up to them."

Tofu took Kasumi's other hand and smiled at his fiancée. "Good enough. I can't disagree with you, especially about the 'it is up to them' part. Still, we are going to be interrupted soon. We need to finish breakfast." He looked at Soun still sitting on floor. "Soun, are you going to be all right?"

Soun was still in shock at having a real live Kitsune in his house, but he managed to pick himself up. He nodded and said, "I'm just going to go get the paper and some cigarettes. I have some thinking to do." With that, he left the kitchen. Tofu sensed Ranma leaving in front of Soun. The Kitsune felt Ranma drop the Umisen-Ken and stand out by the Koi pond. Genma was still out cold.

Tofu and Kasumi returned to finishing breakfast. "So who was really the target of Henna's operation? And why don't you want Ranma to know?" Tofu asked.

"Is he busy?" she asked.

"He's out by the Koi pond thinking. I have a 'tell' on him that will last until he either shape changes or switches back to invisibility-mode. Either way, I'll know when he breaks it. He's very good by the way. He may have the makings of a mage."

"One complication at a time, thanks. Henna's goal was to wipe the board clean of distractions. Take out my family, Ranma, and, possibly, Genma and Nodoka too. Everyone is supposed to go after me. Once Henna had control of me, and with a bit of misdirection, she could lead the family on a merry chase effectively hiding Ranma from the fiancée brigade, especially Shampoo."

"So it is a political battle. The goal is to disgrace Shampoo." Tofu concluded.

"Yes, but I don't want Ranma to figure that out. He shouldn't be a pawn in their game. It's best if he stays clear of the whole thing, and our little act should accomplish that. I'm guessing Henna is a rival of Cologne. Henna would like to prevent Cologne from expanding her influence, which means preventing Shampoo from reclaiming her place in the tribe."

"Which means stopping Shampoo from claiming Ranma by any means possible," Tofu finished.

"Yes. By the way, why did you ask me about Ranma and Akane like that?" she asked.

Tofu raised a single eyebrow. "With so many people manipulating him, Ranma should hear the truth every now and then, especially from us."

Kasumi blushed brightly. "Oh my. I guess you're right…"

* * *

One last chapter to go...and the children return again...


	11. Tofu and Ranma

Chapter 11: Tofu and Ranma

Tofu was performing katas in the Tendo dojo. He had spent yesterday with Kasumi and her family, just relaxing and getting re-acquainted with everyone. For the most part, it had been very enjoyable. He had played Go against the two fathers (he trounced both of them since they couldn't cheat against him), teased (and been teased by) the two younger Tendo daughters, sparred with Ranma (and later Akane), dodged Nodoka's efforts to get more of his background out of him, and spent a lot of time with Kasumi (no surprise there). The only downside had been a few patients tracking him to the Tendo's – he treated them after making them swear not to tell anyone where he was. That's why he was hiding at the dojo this morning, despite the fact Kasumi wasn't here. She was on a shopping trip with Akane and Nabiki downtown. Tomorrow was Nabiki last day here, and the family (including himself) had planned to spend the day together, but the three sisters had wanted to spend one day together by themselves before Nabiki went off to college. Tofu had assured his bride-to-be that he understood perfectly and that she should go off today with her sisters – he had also slipped money into her wallet when she wasn't looking. He'd catch up with Kasumi when they came home tonight.

In the meantime, he had his own share of thinking to do. One of the events last night had been a clearing of the air. Ranma and Akane were persuaded to talk about Jusenkyo and Jusendo, Kasumi told the tale of her battle with Henna, and he told the story of Ryugenzawa. He had not needed to hear of Akane's and Ranma's adventure at Ryugenzawa, having gotten that from Shinnosuke's grandfather, so he didn't push them for it. He wasn't sure how much of the stories the elders (besides himself) believed, but he wasn't worried about it either – he just hoped it made them stop and think themselves. Kasumi has also given him some details afterwards that her mother had passed along – things she didn't want Soun or the Saotomes to reflect on. He had also told Kasumi that the Council was stationing him in Nerima from here on out.

She had later showed him the Chaos Gi, which he had examined and pronounced safe for his fiancée to use. Ranma had been right; it was a permanent artifact that was tied to Kasumi. As befitting its creator, the Gi had very strong defensive capabilities that drew on and stored free natural energies – to such an extent that any Chi based attack was useless against the Gi. As far as physical attacks went, the wearer could be hit by a couple of dump trucks and not show any damage, although such immunity depleted the stored energies. Once the energies wore out, the Gi would only stop the non-physical attacks until it charged itself again. Still, Tofu took some measure of comfort that his wife-to-be had some protection against the craziness of Nerima.

As he reflected on what he knew and on what he had been told, the most obvious thing that struck him was that there was a showdown coming, and Nerima was ground zero - no surprise really. This place was such a focus of Dragon Lines (or Ley Lines as the Westerners called them), that it made the perfect battleground for the mystical. His own powers increased within the city limits, and so would everyone else's. His job was to keep the innocents out of the line of fire, and, if possible, help right the wrongs with a minimum of damage all the way around. He just wished he knew who the showdown involved. At least he had help – that had been the key point he had taken away from his discussion with Kasumi. As a Messenger from Kami-Sama, Kimiko Tendo had listed off the allies to Kasumi and given another crucial piece of info – the Powers-that-Be had sent Ranma Saotome to help Nerima because of his ability to defy the odds. If you were going into a high stakes poker game, it helped to hold the wild card.

The only problem with that was that the wild card was a bit *too* wild. Ranma had such an array of problems that needed taming, and the young man needed a bit of Balance himself – his very soul had been fractured and still needed a bit of healing. However, Tofu had been a Teacher and a Healer all his life; maybe he could convince Ranma to accept his help. Afterwards, possibly become his Student – the lad certainly had potential. Besides, maybe the Teacher could learn a few things too…

His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, "Hey, Doc. Looking good." A slightly grinning Ranma walked in, holding two bo staffs. "I'm surprised you're here though. I thought you'd be at the clinic settling in again."

"The clinic's been running without me for a while. It's not like I have to open it again. And, I don't have a lot of stuff to unpack – I live pretty simply."

"And, it's harder for people to track you down if you're here," Ranma added.

"There is that. People are less likely to bother me if they think I'm with Kasumi." Tofu agreed. "Besides, it's nice to practice karate in a dojo instead of the backyard or an examination room."

"And you better practice hard," Ranma said smirking. "Otherwise your wife will be able to kick your butt shortly. She's a very fast learner."

"I think I'll be able to hold my own, thanks."

"I don't know about that. That Wado-Ryu you've been working through works well for grappling, but she's been working more on Shito-Ryu. When it's backed by the bo staff, you'll have a hard time getting close enough for your style to work."

Tofu detected a challenge in the air. "I can get the job done. I can always call on Kyokushinkai to get in there quick."

"Kyokushinkai?" Ranma responded. "I pictured you more as a Goju-Ryu sort of guy."

"Didn't say I was or wasn't. You're not the only one who can mix styles as need be."

"Interesting point. Care for a demo?" Ranma threw one of the staffs to him.

Tofu caught it with practiced ease. "Didn't you get enough sparring yesterday?"

"One can never get enough sparring," Ranma said with mock solemnity. "Besides, you were being polite yesterday in front of the ladies. I know you can do better than what you did," Ranma continued with a slightly mocking tone.

"Mayybee. I suppose this is an Anything Goes match." Tofu said with an arch of the eyebrow as he pretended to brush some dust from his clothing.

"Yep – although we have to spare the dojo. Mr. Tendo is getting a little sensitive about the repair bills. First one to damage the dojo loses and has to do the repairs."

"I see. A thirty minute match then – loser makes lunch?"

"I hope bachelor living has taught you cook well for yourself."

"Who says I'm going to lose? You know Ranma; a little humility wouldn't hurt you."

"Mayybee. But you'll have to teach it to me first, Doc."

"I'm an excellent teacher, young man."

"Bring it on...Kitsune."

Tofu's answering grin was positively vicious.

* * *

Soun ran out to the dojo after the third sounding of thunder. What he saw froze him still – both his sons-in-law-to-be were going at it hammer and nails. Tofu had switched to his spirit form and added a layer of fur against Ranma's Soul of Ice windstorm. Ranma had wrapped himself in a Chi tornado that occasionally became visible to the naked eye – it proved an effective deterrent to the Kitsune's tail (Ranma had learned quickly not to touch or allow himself to be touched by that tail). Both men were glowing bright blue with Chi shields and their staffs shone like something from Industrial Light and Magic. Every time the staffs connected together, there were sizzling sparks and the occasional roll of thunder. Tofu was relying on Foxfire for offensive attacks through the staff since he had learned fairly quickly that Ranma could absorb loose Chi. Fortunately for Ranma, by using his staff after charging it with Chi, Ranma could block the Foxfire staff without taking damage. Tofu had to be careful with the free Foxfire strikes (not delivered by the staff) so as not to damage the dojo, but, even so, Ranma could use his Chi to block the free strikes, just not the ones administered by Tofu's staff. Also, Ranma's staff allowed a conduit through which Ranma could direct a Chi strike which would bypass Tofu's shield, he just had to tag Tofu first. Both men never hesitated to strike with hands and feet whenever possible although their Chi shields absorbed most of that type of damage, but they were careful to strike only if they could avoid the staffs – for either of them, the touch of an unblocked staff was a lesson in pain.

Soun stared at the two battle gods fighting and the energy surging around the dojo. Once he noted the huge grins on the combatants' faces and the brightness in their eyes (and the fact that they were sparing the dojo), he relaxed and went back to the house. He returned a short time later with a chair, a couple of bottles of beer, and a set of earmuffs. Stationing himself at the door, he watched the fight. After a bit, he noted that Ranma would be making lunch that day – Ranma's Soul of Ice attack was making dents in the Kitsune's defenses – just not big enough, and the Kitsune was countering with the occasional illusion that could distract Ranma if he wasn't careful. Tofu had been in more life-and-death battles than the teenager (which was saying something) and it showed, regardless of Ranma's enthusiasm. Sometimes old age and treachery could carry the day – especially if the old man moved like he was twenty-five. And while Ranma had a large Chi reserve, Tofu had mastery of two sources of power – his own significant Chi reserves and the Foxfire. Still, noting the grin on Ranma's face, Soun thought that maybe the young man wouldn't mind losing for once.

Well, one could hope anyway…


	12. Epilogue

Epilogue:

A woman with blue-black hair entered her daughter's bedroom and checked the room. She then raised her eyes to the ceiling and called out "Children!"

With small popping sounds accompanying them, three children wearing white robes appeared in the air above the bed then dropped the two meters to bounce on said bed. The follow-through deposited them neatly in front of the woman. The tallest child was a girl with brown hair approximately eight years old. The middle child was a boy with hair of a lighter brown, two years younger than the tallest. The youngest girl was a year behind him with auburn hair. The most immediate thing one noticed about the children however was that they all sported beautiful fox tails the same color as their hair attached to their backsides. All three bowed deeply to the woman and said, "Yes, Grandmother?"

The woman acknowledged the greeting with a small nod and then spoke firmly: "Come with me, children."

"Yes, Grandmother."

The woman led the three downstairs and out the porch door toward to dojo. The children figured that their uncle was in another battle with someone, judging from the noise coming from the building. They brightened at the thought – he was always good for some amusement. Sure enough, they could see him through the doorway up ahead, although they had never seen him shine so much into their world before. Nor had they seen him smile and laugh quite so much.

The woman led the children around her husband's chair and into the dojo proper, urging the children to keep to the wall so as not to disturb the combatants. She then gestured at the fighters causing the children to take a good look at the men. The resultant shock to their collective systems caused them to halt in their tracks and stand there with their mouths hanging open. Yes, their uncle was an impressive sight, but it was his opponent that stunned them. The new man stood half a head taller than their uncle and had brown hair drawn back in a loose ponytail. He was a well-built individual that also shown brightly into the spirit world. However, it was the fur covering his body and the fox ears that caught their attention – that and the magnificent fox tail that *he* sported. He wielded a staff shining with a blue power that echoed through the childrens' cores. He also laughed and smiled with their uncle as the two men exchanged blows faster than the eye could follow as well as many good-natured taunts.

The woman took in the shocked expression on the children's faces and held back her own laughter. Grinning mischievously, she positioned herself behind her grandchildren and knelt down to lightly embrace the three. "Behold," she spoke softly to them, "Behold your Father…"

* * *

Well, this has been a lot of fun, but Kasumi and Tofu's story stops here. From here on in, they will have to share the limelight with the rest of the Ranma crew (besides, it's not like you cannot guess where the relationship is heading after all). No fear though – they will figure prominently in future installments of Bindings. Next up is "Brothers" (which has been re-written several times, but I'm finally happy with the results) starting in October sometime. I also have a couple of one-shots I'd like to do, including one featuring Happosai, and a short story featuring Ranma and Akane's first real date (the one Nabiki set them up on doesn't count). These will be humor pieces and released as I finish them (and after they undergo proper aging – nothing like coming back to a finished piece a few weeks later; it allows you to see your mistakes with clear eyes).

I also like to take the time to thank Rose1948, James Birdsong, Dummy Perception, Richard Ryley and the rest of the Reviewers for their support and encouragement during the publishing of "Kasumi's Fate" and "Tofu's Return". Your kind words helped provide proper motivation to get the job done right.

Cheers!

DC


End file.
